Abstract：
Infection and clinical cases of leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum in cats have been increasingly reported in several countries, including Brazil. In this study, we used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and an immunochromatographic test (ICT) based on a recombinant antigen (rKDDR-plus) to detect anti-Leishmania antibodies in cats from an animal shelter in northeastern Brazil. We compared the results with an ELISA using L. infantum crude antigen (ELISA-CA). We also investigated the presence of Leishmania DNA in blood or ocular conjunctival samples as well as the association between Leishmania PCR positivity and serological positivity to feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and Toxoplasma gondii. Concerning serological assays, a higher positivity was detected using the ICT-rKDDR-plus (7.5%; 7/93) as compared to ELISA-rKDDR-plus (5.4%; 5/93) and ELISA-CA (4.3%; 4/93). Upon PCR testing, 52.7% (49/93) of the ocular conjunctival swabs and 48.3% (44/91) of the blood samples were positive. Together, PCR and serological testing revealed overall positivities of 73.1% (68/93) and 12.9% (12/93), respectively. Among PCR-positive samples, 45.5% (31/68) showed co-infection with FIV, 17.6% (12/68) with FeLV, and 82.3% (56/68) with T. gondii. More than half of the PCR-positive cats showed at least one clinical sign suggestive of leishmaniasis (58.8%; 40/68) and dermatological signs were the most frequent ones (45.5%; 31/68). Both tests employing the recombinant antigen rKDDR-plus (i.e., ICT-rKDDR-plus and ELISA-rKDDR-plus) detected more positive cats than the ELISA-CA but presented low overall accuracy. PCR testing using either blood or ocular conjunctival samples detected much more positive cats than serological tests.
摘要：
一些国家越来越多地报道了由婴儿利什曼原虫在猫中引起的利什曼病的感染和临床病例，包括巴西。在这项研究中,我们使用酶联免疫吸附试验(ELISA)和基于重组抗原(rKDDR-plus)的免疫层析试验(ICT)检测了来自巴西东北部动物收容所的猫体内的抗利什曼原虫抗体.我们将结果与使用L.infantum粗抗原（ELISA-CA）的ELISA进行了比较。我们还研究了血液或眼结膜样品中利什曼原虫DNA的存在，以及利什曼原虫PCR阳性与猫免疫缺陷病毒（FIV）血清学阳性之间的关联。猫白血病病毒（FeLV）和弓形虫。关于血清学测定，与ELISA-rKDDR-plus(5.4%;5/93)和ELISA-CA(4.3%;4/93)相比,ICT-rKDDR-plus(7.5%;7/93)检测到更高的阳性.通过PCR检测，52.7%(49/93)的眼结膜拭子和48.3%(44/91)的血液样本为阳性。一起,PCR和血清学检测显示总阳性率为73.1%(68/93)和12.9%(12/93),分别。在PCR阳性样本中，45.5%(31/68)与FIV合并感染,17.6%（12/68）与FeLV，和82.3%（56/68）与弓形虫。超过一半的PCR阳性猫显示至少一种提示利什曼病的临床体征（58.8％；40/68），皮肤病学体征是最常见的体征（45.5％；31/68）。两种测试都采用重组抗原rKDDR-plus(即，ICT-rKDDR-plus和ELISA-rKDDR-plus）比ELISA-CA检测到更多的阳性猫，但总体准确性较低。使用血液或眼结膜样品的PCR测试比血清学测试检测到更多的阳性猫。
