Canine leishmaniasis

[2] Cases of leishmaniasis began appearing in North America in 2000,[3] and, as of 2008, Leishmania-positive foxhounds have been reported in 22 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces.

Subgenus Viannia strains are found only in Central and South America, all of which cause leishmaniasis in humans.

Although in utero transmission is likely the predominant method of disease spread amount the L. infantum Mon1 strain, it is still a viable parasite (has not lost virulence factors associated with sandfly-uptake) which can be transmitted via sandfly bite.

[11] A Brazilian study of 63 puppies from 18 L. donovani-infected parents found no evidence of congential or transplacental infection.

The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method for detecting Leishmania DNA is a highly sensitive and specific test, producing accurate results in a relatively short amount of time.

[17] The sandfly is most active at dusk and dawn; keeping dogs indoors during those peak times will help minimize exposure.

Most common treatments include: L. donovani L. infantum[27] In the United States, research examining the Foxhound and Neapolitan Mastiff is scheduled to continue into 2011 at the University of Iowa.

Also in the United States, the CDC is monitoring Italian Spinones, with no end date indicated on sample submissions.