Seroepidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis in stray dogs in Yazd city by ELISA method

Introduction: Visceral leishmaniosis (Kala-azar) is the fatal form of leishmaniosis is sporadic in many parts of Iran, and it is endemic in some locations. In the present study, the seroprevalence of canine visceral leishmaniosis in Yazd city was investigated.
Material and methods: Blood samples were randomly taken from ??? stray dogs from municipality animal shelter in Yazd city after complete clinical examination. All collected sera were tested by a commercial indirect ELISA kit (ID-VET, France) for the presence of anti leishmania infantum antibodies.
Results: The overall seroprevalence was ?% but ?? dogs showed skin lesion such as nasal planum ulcers, exfoliation and alopecia around eyes and muzzle in clinical examination.
Conclusion: The seroprevalence of canine visceral leishmaniosis was ranged ??% to ?? % in different endemic parts of Iran. In Yazd city, the low prevalence of disease in stray dogs showed that this city is a non-endemic area for visceral leishmaniosis. Based to the reports of infantile infection from Shahid Sadooghi hospital and presence of different species of sand flies there is a need for the implementation of a fieldwork monitoring system for the disease surveillance in animal reservoirs and high risk population in different geographical parts of Yazd province.