Canine visceral leishmaniasis: therapeutic and preventive aspects – literature review

Abstract

Canine visceral leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease endemic in Brazil, caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum and transmitted by the phlebotomine vector, Lutzomyia longipalpis. This study aims to present a literature review of the main characteristics of the disease, focusing on therapeutic and preventive measures in the Brazilian territory. Contaminated animals can remain asymptomatic from months to years, and although many drugs are used in their treatment, none has yet reached the parasitological cure, so those animals have an important role in maintaining the disease cycle. Moreover, the Ministry of Health (Ministério da Saúde) does not recommend treatment. Control and prevention measures are not completely effective. For these reasons, this disease generates high risks to animal and human health, being a serious public health problem.