RESUMO
Background: Domestic cats have been implicated as accidental hosts of Leishmania sp. However, in recent years, the recurrent description of new cases in endemic and nonendemic areas draw attention to the potential epidemiological role of cats as reservoir hosts. Although dogs are considered urban reservoirs, cats could act as a secondary natural reservoirs in these areas. Thus, feline leishmaniasis has become an emerging disease in several countries worldwide. Case presentation: This study aimed to describe the first case of feline leishmaniasis in a stray animal that presented lesions compatible with the disease in Belém, Pará, Brazil, an important urban area in eastern Amazon. Serological tests for Leishmania infantum (ELISA and IFA) were nonreactive, whereas histopathological examination indicated infectious dermatitis caused by Leishmania spp. or Toxoplasma gondii. Cytopathological study of lesion aspirate confirmed the presence of Leishmania sp. amastigotes within macrophages. Finally, molecular analyses revealed that the feline infection was caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi. Conclusion: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study reports the first case of natural infection by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi in a feline from eastern Amazon. These findings suggest domestic cats as potential secondary reservoir hosts of Leishmania spp. in Belém, which reinforces the importance of further epidemiological investigation of feline leishmaniasis, especially in urban areas with human cases.
RESUMO
Background: Domestic cats have been implicated as accidental hosts of Leishmania sp. However, in recent years, the recurrent description of new cases in endemic and nonendemic areas draw attention to the potential epidemiological role of cats as reservoir hosts. Although dogs are considered urban reservoirs, cats could act as a secondary natural reservoirs in these areas. Thus, feline leishmaniasis has become an emerging disease in several countries worldwide. Case presentation: This study aimed to describe the first case of feline leishmaniasis in a stray animal that presented lesions compatible with the disease in Belém, Pará, Brazil, an important urban area in eastern Amazon. Serological tests for Leishmania infantum (ELISA and IFA) were nonreactive, whereas histopathological examination indicated infectious dermatitis caused by Leishmania spp. or Toxoplasma gondii. Cytopathological study of lesion aspirate confirmed the presence of Leishmania sp. amastigotes within macrophages. Finally, molecular analyses revealed that the feline infection was caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi. Conclusion: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study reports the first case of natural infection by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi in a feline from eastern Amazon. These findings suggest domestic cats as potential secondary reservoir hosts of Leishmania spp. in Belém, which reinforces the importance of further epidemiological investigation of feline leishmaniasis, especially in urban areas with human cases.(AU)
Assuntos
Animais , Gatos/microbiologia , Leishmania infantum/genética , Leishmania/genética , Brasil , Área Urbana , Técnicas de Diagnóstico Molecular/veterináriaRESUMO
This was a cross-sectional prospective study. We performed a multivariate statistical analysis of the neurological signs and symptoms of patients infected with human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) in an attempt to separate them into distinct groups and identify clinical-neurological manifestations that could differentiate the various profiles. The study was performed in the city of Belém (state of Pará), located in the Amazon region of Brazil, from 2014 to 2016. We determined muscle strength and tone, reflexes, sensations, sphincter function, gait, and the Expanded Disability Status Scale score among individuals with HTLV-I. We then used exploratory statistical methods in an attempt to find different profiles and establish distinct groups. We analyzed 60 patients with HTLV-1. The filtering of the data, performed with mixed PCA, gave rise to a streamlined database with the most informative data and suggested the formation of three statistically distinct groups: asymptomatic carriers (AC), mono/oligosymptomatic (MOS), and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSPd), AC and MOS (p = 0.002), AC and HAM/TSPd (p < 0.001), and HAM/TSPd and MOS (p = 0.001). The subsequent cluster analysis confirmed the formation of three clusters. The classification and regression tree demonstrated that altered gait was the most important variable for the classification of an individual with HAM/TSPd and that, in the absence of this impairment, hyperreflexia characterized MOS. The present study was able to separate patients infected by HTLV-1 into three clinical groups (AC, HAM/TSPd, and MOS) and identify clinical manifestations that could differentiate the various patient groups.