Diagnosis of Leishmania infantum using Direct Agglutination Test and rKE16 Dipstick Rapid Test in Domestic Dogs from Ardabil Province, Iran

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease, caused by several Leishmania species. Clinical symptoms range from Cutaneous Lesions (CL) to severe Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL). The main cause of VL in Iran is Leishmania infantum and domestic dogs are the major reservoir host. Different methods are used for diagnosis of VL including the parasitology staining from tissue aspiration and determination of antibodies against VL. The aim of this study was to compare direct agglutination (DAT) and rKE16 dipstick rapid tests for VL in domestic dogs from Meshkin Shahr district, Ardabil Province, Northwestern Iran. Blood samples of 200 dogs from five different regions were collected and their sera tested with DAT and rKE16 methods. Collected data were compared for VL detection, antibody titers and their association with age, gender and location. The highest rate of infection was detected by DAT (24.5%) in compare to rKE16 (11.5%). Majority of dogs suffering from VL were 2-7 years old and more male infection (82%) was observed with the highest rate in Parikhan village. These findings showed that DAT has a higher sensitivity than rKE16 dipstick for dogs VL detection. More infection was observed among dogs from Parikhan village of Meshkin Shahr district, Ardabil province, Northwestern Iran.