PCR Follow-up Examination After Treatment of Canine Leishmaniosis (CaL)

  • STEUBER Stephan
    Federal Institute for Health Protection of Consumers and Veterinary Medicine (BgVV)
  • MORITZ Andreas
    Medical and Judicial Veterinary Hospital, Justus-Liebig University
  • SCHIRRMANN Ines
    Federal Institute for Health Protection of Consumers and Veterinary Medicine (BgVV)
  • GREINER Matthias
    Institute of Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Free University

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A study has been performed to investigate the usefulness of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for both the diagnosis and the follow-up after treatment of canine leishmaniosis (CaL). Blood samples (PBL) and/or bone marrow aspirates (BM) could be examined in a total of 18 confirmed cases of primary CaL. PBL was PCR-positive in 87%, whereas the BM was found to be positive in all cases (n=14) tested. PBL and BM from a total of 13 patients were submitted to PCR examinations after meglumine antimoniate (Glucantime<[○!R]>) treatment. Only one dog showed a negative PCR after 2 treatment cycles (days 1-2: 50 mg/kg bw; days 3-10: 100 mg/kg bw). Examination of the PBL and BM after 15 months remained further PCR negative. All other dogs, from which four were pretreated with allopurinol up to 5 weeks, continued to be positive (92%) at least in the BM. Ten dogs could be monitored by means of the PCR after allopurinol treatment (2×10mg/kg/bw/day/) either as a monodrug therapy in seven or as a successive combination with Glucantime<[○!R]> in three cases. Two out of three dogs which showed good clinical improvement after daily administration for five weeks were likewise PCR negative in both the PBL and the BM. The four other dogs remained positive after the single therapy with allopurinol up to 5 weeks. A further three dogs were treated with allopurinol for 5 weeks, 6 and 20 month, respectively, after being clinically cured with Glucantime<[○!R]>. Two of them were PCR negative in the PBL and BM after 5 weeks and 20 month, respectively. The results presented suggest that longterm treatment with allopurinol has some therapeutic benefit in CaL especially when administered following treatment with the pentavalent antimonial Glucantime<[○!R]>.

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