First study on microscopic and molecular detection of Acanthocheilonema reconditum and Leishmania infantum coinfection in dogs in Southwest Colombia

Vet World Vol.16 January-2023 Article-11

Research Article

Veterinary World, 16(1): 94-103

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2023.94-103

Ruben Dario Pérez-Ramírez¹, Rodrigo Lugo-Vargas¹, Julieth Michel Petano-Duque¹, Juan Sebastian Cruz-Méndez^1,2, and Iang Schroniltgen Rondón-Barragán^1,2

1. Research Group in Immunobiology and Pathogenesis, Laboratory of Immunology and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, Universidad del Tolima, Santa Helena Highs, Ibagué-Tolima, Colombia.
2. Poultry Research Group, Laboratory of Immunology and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, Universidad del Tolima, Santa Helena Highs, Ibagué-Tolima, Colombia.

Background and Aim: Canine vector-borne diseases represent an important issue for the welfare and health of animals, but also have great zoonotic potential. These diseases are caused by bacteria, nematodes such as filariae, and other parasites such as Leishmania spp. Given the difficulty in differentiating common microfilariae in dogs by microscopy and serological methods, molecular techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing should be valuable for reaching a reliable diagnosis. This study aimed to use microscopy and PCR to identify the microfilarial species in dogs from Valle del Cauca, Colombia, and a possible association with Leishmania infantum parasites.

Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 270 dogs from Pradera and Florida municipalities. Microfilariae were detected in dogs by optical microscopy and amplification with 5.8S-ITS2-28S. Species identification was achieved through the amplification of the gene cytochrome oxidase I (COX1).

Results: Microscopic detection of microfilariae was possible in 4.81% (13/270) of the dogs. In addition, by PCR of COX1 and Sanger sequencing of ITS2, Acanthocheilonema reconditum was identified as the circulating microfilarial species in 12 dogs, coinfecting with the species L. infantum (Leishmania donovani complex).

Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on A. reconditum and L. infantum mixed infection in dogs in Colombia, particularly in the Valle del Cauca. Keywords: 5.8s-ITS2-28s, Acanthocheilonema reconditum, COX1, hsp70, Leishmania infantum.

Keywords: 5.8s-ITS2-28s, Acanthocheilonema reconditum, COX1, hsp70, Leishmania infantum.

How to cite this article: Pérez-Ramírez RD, Lugo-Vargas R, Petano-Duque JM, Cruz-Méndez JS, and Rondón-Barragán IS (2023) First study on microscopic and molecular detection of Acanthocheilonema reconditum and Leishmania infantum coinfection in dogs in Southwest Colombia, Veterinary World, 16(1): 94–103.

Received: 15-09-2022 Accepted: 22-11-2022 Published online: 12-01-2023

Corresponding author: Iang Schroniltgen Rondón-Barragán E-mail: isrondon@ut.edu.co

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2023.94-103

Copyright: Pérez-Ramírez, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.