Evaluation of rK39 rapid diagnostic tests for canine visceral leishmaniasis : longitudinal study and meta-analysis

Canine visceral leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease caused by the intracellular parasite Leishmania infantum. It is an important veterinary disease, and dogs are also the main animal reservoir for human infection. The disease is widespread in the Mediterranean area, and parts of Asia and South and Central America, and is potentially fatal in both dogs and humans unless treated. Diagnosis of canine infections requires serological or molecular tests. Detection of infection in dogs is important prior to treatment, and in epidemiological studies and control programmes, and a sensitive and specific rapid diagnostic test would be very useful. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) have been developed, but their diagnostic performance has been reported to be variable. We evaluated the sensitivity of a RDT based on serological detection of the rK39 antigen in a cohort of naturally infected Brazilian dogs. The sensitivity of the test to detect infection was relatively low, but increased with time since infection and the severity of infection. We then carried out a meta-analysis of published studies of rK39 RDTs, evaluating the sensitivity to detect disease and infection. The results suggest that rK39 RDTs may be useful in a veterinary clinical setting, but the sensitivity to detect infection is too low for operational control programmes

CANINE VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS CASE INVESTIGATION IN THE JACARE REGION OF NITEROI, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

SUMMARY American visceral leishmaniasis is a vector-borne zoonosis in expansion in Brazil. Dogs are the main urban reservoir. Departing from a case of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) in Jacaré, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro State, an epidemiological canine and entomological study was performed to assess the extension of the disease at the location. Sample was collected around the case and the dogs identified by serological tests (rapid double platform immunochromatographic exams, immunoenzymatic assay/ELISA, indirect immunofluorescence/IFAT). The parasitological diagnosis was performed in animals positive in at least one of these tests. The entomological study was carried out by using light traps and manual collection. The associations between canine variables and outcome (ELISA and IFAT reagents) were assessed by the chi-square test and adjusted by multivariate logistic regression for those associations with p < 0.1 in the bivariate analysis. Seventeen cases of CVL were detected among 110 evaluated dogs (prevalence of 15.5%). Presence of ectoparasites (OR 6.5; 95% CI 1.1-37.4), animals with clinical signs (OR 9.5; 95% CI 1.2-76.6), and previous cases of CVL in the same house (OR 17.9; 95% CI 2.2-147.1) were associated with the outcome. Lutzomyia longipalpiswas not detected. Our results are indicative of an ongoing transmission in the area

Optimal conditions for determination of zinc bacitracin, polymyxin B, oxytetracycline and sulfacetamide in animal feed by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

A separation technique for zinc bacitracin, polymyxin B, oxytetracycline and sulfacetamide in animal feedstuffs by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) was developed. The running buffer was 20 mmoll(-1) borate, 20 mmoll(-1) phosphate, pH 8.4, containing 20 mmoll(-1) sodium dodecylsulphate and 10% (v/v) methanol. MEKC was performed at 25C; the applied voltage was 25 kV with a running pressure of 10 mbar. Simultaneous UV detection for all analytes was at 215 nm. The method was validated for specificity, accuracy, linearity, precision and robustness. It was shown to be specific, accurate (recoveries were 99.7 +/- 0.3, 99.9 +/- 0.9, 99.8 +/- 1.0 and 99.5 +/- 0.4, respectively, for oxytetracycline-, sulfacetamide-, polymyxin B- and zinc bacitracin-spiked samples of feed for cow, pigs, chicken and cattle), linear over the tested range (correlation coefficients >= 0.9987) and precise (RSDs below 1.8% for each analyte). The method was applied to determine zinc bacitracin, polymyxin B, oxytetracycline and sulfacetamide as additives in animal feed