Visceral leishmaniosis caused by Leishmania infantum is an endemic zoonosis in southern European countries. Dogs are the main reservoirs of the parasite, which is transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies. Canine leishmaniosis represents an important veterinary medical and public health problem, i.e. information on the epidemiology of Leishmania infection in dogs is essential in order to define effective control measures for zoonotic leishmaniosis.
Publications and Communications
Papers in international scientific periodicals with referees (ISI)
Cardoso L, Schallig HDFH, Cordeiro-da-Silva A, Cabral M, Alunda JM, Rodrigues M (2007). Anti-Leishmania humoral and cellular immune responses in naturally infected symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology, 117: 35-41.
Papers in national periodicals with referees
Neves R, Cardoso L, Afonso MO, Campino L (2007). Leishmaniose canina em Portugal Continental - o que sabem os proprietários acerca desta zoonose parasitária. Veterinary Medicine, July-August: 47-53.
Papers in conference proceedings
Rosa F, Ribeiro S, Maia F, Varejão E, Schallig HDFH, Cardoso L (2007). Serological survey of Leishmania infection in dogs from 3 municipalities of central Portugal. Proceedings, International Conference of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology, Ghent, Belgium, p. 344.
Santarém N, Silvestre R, Cardoso L, Cordeiro-da-Silva A (2007). Evaluation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent and flow cytometry assays for the serological diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis using crude and recombinant Leishmania proteins. Proceedings, International Conference of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology, Ghent, Belgium, p. 343.
Silvestre R, Santarém N, Cardoso L, Nieto J, Moreno J & A. Cordeiro-da-Silva A. The potential of flow cytometry as a diagnostic technique for canine leishmaniasis. Proceedings of the 10th Iberian Congress of Parasitology, Madrid, Spain, DVD.
Lopes AP, Cardoso L, Rodrigues M. Estudio seroepidemiológico de la infección por Toxoplasma gondii en gatos de la región de Trás-os-Montes y Alto Douro (Portugal). Proceedings of the 10th Iberian Congress of Parasitology, Madrid, Spain, DVD.
Cardoso L (2007). Leishmaniose canina em Portugal. Proceedings of the 10th Iberian Congress of Parasitology, Madrid, Spain, DVD.
Cardoso L (2007). Leishmaniosis canina: actualización en epidemiología, diagnóstico y control - Nuevos métodos para el diagnóstico de la infección. Proceedings of the 10th Iberian Congress of Parasitology, Madrid, Spain, DVD.
Cardoso L (2007). Nuevos métodos para el diagnóstico de la infección. In: Leishmaniosis canina: actualización en epidemiología, diagnóstico y control. Proceedings of the 10th Iberian Congress of Parasitology, Madrid, Spain, DVD.
Cardoso LL, Rodrigues JA, Rodrigues MM, Coelho AC, Alegria NF, Cardoso MN, Lopes AP (2007). Aspectos epidemiológicos de doenças causadas por microrganismos e parasitas. Proceedings of the 1st Scientific Meeting of CECAV. University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal, p. 101-104.
Oral communications by invitation
Cardoso L (2007). Leishmaniosis canina: actualización en epidemiología, diagnóstico y control - Nuevos métodos para el diagnóstico de la infección. 10th Iberian Congress of Parasitology, Madrid, Spain.
Other oral communications
Neves R, Cardoso L, Afonso MO, Campino L (2007). Leishmaniose canina em Portugal Continental - o que sabem os proprietários acerca desta zoonose parasitária. 7th Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Epidemiology and Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Peniche, Portugal.
Cardoso L (2007). Leishmaniose canina em Portugal. 10th Iberian Congress of Parasitology, Madrid, Spain.
Cardoso LL, Rodrigues JA, Rodrigues MM, Coelho AC, Alegria NF, Cardoso MN, Lopes AP (2007). Aspectos epidemiológicos de doenças causadas por microrganismos e parasitas. 1st Scientific Meeting of CECAV. University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal.
Posters in conferences
Rosa F, Ribeiro S, Maia F, Varejão E, Schallig HDFH, Cardoso L (2007). Serological survey of Leishmania infection in dogs from 3 municipalities of central Portugal. International Conference of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology, Ghent, Belgium.
Santarém N, Silvestre R, Cardoso L, Cordeiro-da-Silva A (2007). Evaluation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent and flow cytometry assays for the serological diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis using crude and recombinant Leishmania proteins. International Conference of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology, Ghent, Belgium.
Silvestre R, Santarém N, Cardoso L, Nieto J, Moreno J, Cordeiro-da-Silva A (2007). The potential of flow cytometry as a diagnostic technique for canine leishmaniasis. 10th Iberian Congress of Parasitology, Madrid, Spain.
Lopes AP, Cardoso L, Rodrigues M (2007). Estudio seroepidemiológico de la infección por Toxoplasma gondii en gatos de la región de Trás-os-Montes y Alto Douro (Portugal). 10th Iberian Congress of Parasitology, Madrid, Spain.
Research Lines
Diagnosis, epidemiology and control of canine Leishmania infection
Visceral leishmaniosis caused by Leishmania infantum is an endemic zoonosis in southern European countries. Dogs are the main reservoirs of the parasite, which is transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies. Canine leishmaniosis represents an important veterinary medical and public health problem, i.e. information on the epidemiology of Leishmania infection in dogs is essential in order to define effective control measures for zoonotic leishmaniosis. The aim of this research line is the acquisition of up-to-date knowledge about epidemiological aspects of canine Leishmania infection in Portugal and also the validation of simple and sensitive tools for its diagnosis. With this purpose, several studies were carried out as described as follows:
Study of Leishmania infection in dogs from the municipalities of Alcanena, Constância and Santarém (Central Portugal)
Evaluation of flow cytometry assays using crude and recombinant Leishmania proteins for the serological diagnosis of canine leishmaniosis
OTHER RESERACH DEVELOPED BY THIS GROUP
Serological survey of Toxoplasma gondii infection in domestic cats
Cats are very important hosts in the epidemiological cycle of Toxoplasma gondii, a zoonotic protozoan parasite that can infect humans and many other animal species worldwide. A serological survey of antibodies to T. gondii in domestic cats from northeastern Portugal, by means of the modified agglutination test. Differences in the seroprevalence levels were not statistically significant between males (35.6%) and females (36.0%) or pure non-European (26.7%) and European or mixed-breed cats (39.6%). Animals aged 36-71 and 72-180 months had the highest seroprevalences of infection, i.e. 51.7% and 51.2%, respectively, which significantly differ from the values observed in cats with 2-11 (14.6%) and 12-35 months (26.3%). Infection levels were also significantly different between cats that lived totally indoors (7.7%) and those that had access to outdoors (45.4%), as well as between cats living alone (13.8%) and those that had contact with other cat (39.4%). Seroprevalence values in cats fed only commercial canned or dried food (22.9%) and animals whose diet included raw or undercooked viscera and/or meat (53.5%) were also significantly different. Differences of seropositivity to T. gondii were significant between feline immunodeficiency virus infected and non-infected animals, but this was not observed for feline leukaemia virus. Age, habitat and diet were identified as risk factors for the feline T. gondii infection, by logistic regression analysis.
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