Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 97, Issue 2 , Pages 141-145, March 2003

Domestic dog ownership: a risk factor for human infection with Leishmania (viannia) species

  • Richard Reithinger

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress for correspondence: Richard Reithinger, Malaria and Leishmaniasis Control Programme, HealthNet International, 11-A Circular Lane, P. O. Box 889, University Town, Peshawar, Pakistan; phone +92 91 844 474, fax +92 91 840 379.
    • Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WCIE 7HT, UK
    • Dirección Regional de Salud Huanuco, Damaso Beraún 1016, Huánuco, Peru
    • ,
  • Juan Canales Espinoza

      Affiliations

    • Dirección Regional de Salud Huanuco, Damaso Beraún 1016, Huánuco, Peru
    • ,
  • Alejandro Llanos-Cuentas

      Affiliations

    • Instituto de Medicina Tropical ‘Alexander von Humboldt’, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Avenida Honorio Delgado 330, Lima, Peru
    • ,
  • Clive R. Davies

      Affiliations

    • Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WCIE 7HT, UK

Received 8 July 2002; received in revised form 22 October 2002; accepted 24 October 2002.

Abstract 

An epidemiological study has shown that cumulative, village prevalence of Leishmania (Viannia) infection in dogs ranges from 8% to 45% in Huanuco, Peru. Using data from a prospective survey of human American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) collected during 1994-98, it was shown that the village-level risk of human ACL did not significantly increase with dog abundance, neither in absolute terms (P = 0.659) nor in relation to dog:human ratios (P = 0.213). A significant positive association was observed between risk of human ACL and village dog ACL prevalence (P = 0.022). When controlled for village dog ACL prevalence, there also was an association between the average number of dogs per household and risk of human ACL (P = 0.033). The results suggest that dogs play a role in the (peri) domestic transmission of Le. (Viannia) to humans in Huánuco and indicate that a control intervention targeting dogs to control human ACL is warranted.

Keywords:  American cutaneous leishmaniasis, Leishmania (Viannia) spp, epidemiology, dogs, reservoir hosts, Peru

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PII: S0035-9203(03)90101-5

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 97, Issue 2 , Pages 141-145, March 2003

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