Neurological clinical signs associated with canine visceral leishmaniasis in an endemic area: Case report

Abstract

Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) is a disease caused by a protozoan of the genre Leishmania spp. This zoonosis presents with several clinical manifestations in the infected host, from skin changes to systemic changes. Studies with dogs positive for visceral leishmaniasis have shown changes in the nervous tissue of these animals. This study aimed to report a case of a dog, naturally infected by Leishmania spp., presenting neurological changes associated with this protozoan. The present case is described by the manifestation of neurological signs of opstotone and spastic tetany in a dog from an endemic area, naturally infected by Leishmania spp. The parasitological diagnosis was performed after aspiration puncture with a fine needle (FNAP) of a popliteal lymph node, through the visualization, in an optical microscope, of amastigote forms of Leishmania spp. Subsequently confirmed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) directed to the genus Leishmania. Canine visceral leishmaniasis is characterized by a wide and variable spectrum of clinical signs.