Epidemiology of canine leishmaniosis in Catalonia (Spain) - The example ofthe Priorat focus

An epidemiological survey of canine leishmaniosis was conducted in the Prio rat, a rural region in the Northeast of Spain, for 10 years (1985-1994). Se roprevalence throughout the region, determined by dot-ELISA and IFI, was 10 .2% (8-12%). Forty percent of the dogs studied had a low level of anti-Leis hmania antibodies, whereas only 50% were seronegative. Only one-third of th e seropositive dogs had evident symptoms of the disease. Annual incidence o f the disease was 5.7% and the level of endemicity was stable during the st udy. Four Leishmania zymodemes (MON-1, MON-29, MON-77, MON-105) were presen t in the focus, and their distribution in the different hosts is discussed. Apart from dogs and foxes, no other reservoir host has been found in the r egion. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.