Investigation of Visceral Leishmaniasis Among 192 Dog Carcasses Killed By Road Accidents in Khorasan Razavi, Northeastern Iran During 2014-2016

Background: visceral leishmaniasis (vl), so-called kala-azar is a life threating parasitic infectious disease caused by leishmania spp. l. infantum is the main causative agent for mediterranean form of kala-azar which is endemic in northeastern iran. this study attempted to investigate existence of canine visceral leishmaniasis (cvl) in khorasan razavi. methods: between 2014 and 2016, tissue samples collected from spleen and liver of 192 stray dogs were examined to investigate existence of l. infantum. kinetoplast dna (k-dna) pcr was performed to identify the species of parasites. the positive pcr products were sequenced in both directions to confirm the kdna pcr results results: among samples obtained from 192 dogs, kinetoplast dna of l. infantum was detected in two female dogs. l. infantum was confirmed by sequence analysis of pcr products. conclusion: our data confirm stray dogs play as potential reservoirs for vl in this province. further investiga-tion will be necessary to clear role of stray dogs in the transmission of l. infantum to human and domestic dogs.