Affiliation: | aClinic of Companion Animal Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 11 Stavrou Voutyra str., GR-54627 Thessaloniki, Greece bLaboratory of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Animal Health Economics, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, 224 Trikalon str., GR-43100 Karditsa, Greece cLaboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, 224 Trikalon str., GR-43100 Karditsa, Greece dClinic of Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, 224 Trikalon str., GR-43100 Karditsa, Greece eClinic of Obstetrics, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, 224 Trikalon str., GR-43100 Karditsa, Greece fLaboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, GR-54006 Thessaloniki, Greece gDepartment of Veterinary Public Health, National School of Public Health, 196 Alexandras Avenue, GR-11521 Athens, Greece |
Abstract: | A total of 95 clinically healthy and seronegative for Leishmania infantum dogs, residing an area highly endemic for canine leishmaniosis (CL) and living an outdoor life-style, were split into positive and negative groups, and then were randomly assigned to receive allopurinol (n = 51; 20 mg/kg once daily), or placebo (n = 44) for 1 week per month, from April to November. Forty per cent (38/95) of these dogs were not reexamined and retested at the end of the trial for reasons unrelated to CL. None of the remaining 57 dogs exhibited the symptomatic form of the disease at the end of the 1-year follow-up period. Of the 15 allopurinol-treated dogs that were non-infected (negative PCR and tissue smear microscopy) at the beginning of the trial, 6 (40% P = 0.03) became PCR-positive, of which 3 became also seropositive, at the end of the observation period. In contrast, only 1 of 7 (14.3%) placebo-treated non-infected dogs became PCR positive at the same time point. Of the 19 allopurinol-treated dogs that were infected (PCR-positive) at the beginning of the trial, 18 (94.7%) remained PCR-positive and one (5.3%) seroconverted, at the end of the observation period. Of the 16 initially infected and placebo-treated dogs, 14 (87.5%) remained PCR positive, of which one (6.7%) also turned positive by tissue smear microscopy. Therefore, it is concluded that the use of allopurinol, at the daily dose of 20 mg/kg, for 1 week per month, during the period of sandfly activity, does not prevent the infection of non-infected dogs by L. infantum, and, also, does not help in the elimination of the parasite from dogs with asymptomatic infections. |