Seroprevalence of Leishmania infantum in northwestern Spain, an area traditionally considered free of leishmaniasis

Northwestern Spain has traditionally been considered to be free from leishmaniasis. The aim of this work was to determine the prevalence of canine leishmaniasis in this area and to assess the influence of several risk factors on the incidence of this disease. A total of 479 dogs attended at different veterinary clinics in northwestern Spain were tested for L. infantum with the immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) test. The seroprevalence of L. infantum in this area was 3.7%. Most of the seropositive dogs lived in two locations: Valdcorras (seroprevalence of 29.2%) and Ourense (seroprevalence of 7.5%). The detection of high antibody titers in most of the seropositive dogs (many of which presented clinical signs) coupled with the certainity that some of these dogs had never been outside their home areas indicates the presence of this zoonosis in these two sites. On the other hand, companion dogs were significantly less likely to acquire the disease than sheep dogs, hunting dogs, and those from kennels.