Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40500785›Full record

ArticleParasites & vectors2025

Canine leishmaniosis and peripheral neuropathy: a lesson from the neurologist.

Floriana Gernone, Domenico Otranto, Jairo Alfonso Mendoza-Roldan, Annamaria Uva, Kaspar Matiasek, Andrea Zatelli

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Article in Parasites & vectors, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Floriana GernoneDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy. floriana.gernone@uniba.it.
Domenico OtrantoDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy. domenico.otranto@uniba.it.
Jairo Alfonso Mendoza-RoldanDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
Annamaria UvaDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
Kaspar MatiasekSection of Clinical and Comparative Neuropathology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany.
Andrea ZatelliDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCanine leishmaniosis (CanL), a sand fly-borne zoonotic disease caused by Leishmania infantum, is potentially lethal in dogs. A similar or slightly higher quantity of antigens over antibodies promotes the formation of soluble circulating immune complexes (sCIC), which are deposited in the capillary wall, causing the inflammatory cascade responsible for clinical manifestations. Nervous system involvement during CanL is rarely reported in both humans and dogs, and the exact underlying process involving the peripheral nervous system (PNS) is still debated in both species.

methodsTwo male mixed-breed dogs were presented for exercise intolerance, non-ambulatory flaccid tetraparesis and decreased/absent flexor reflexes in all four limbs. Both dogs were seropositive for L. infantum and presented clinicopathological abnormalities suggestive of active CanL. One dog had received N-methyl-glucamine antimoniate two months before presentation without neurological improvement.

resultsGeneralized PNS involvement was confirmed in both dogs. Biopsies of muscle and nerve tissues showed mononuclear cell inflammatory infiltration, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was positive for Leishmania spp. In addition, Leishmania spp. antigen was detected in the nerve from one dog by immunohistochemistry. Both dogs were started on N-methyl-glucamine antimoniate and allopurinol in association with immunosuppressive corticosteroid therapy, recovering in few weeks.

conclusionsPeripheral neuropathies during active CanL can be a consequence of sCIC deposition on endoneurial vascular endothelium comprising the blood-nerve barrier and its consequent breakdown. However, an abnormal host immune response triggered by L. infantum causing demyelination and/or axonal disruption is also possible. The positive response to the immunosuppressive therapy further supports an immune-mediated origin of the PNS condition. Therefore, CanL should be included in the differential diagnosis of PNS disease in dogs, especially in areas endemic for L. infantum.

Indexed as

Dog DiseasesLeishmania infantumLeishmaniasisLeishmaniasis, VisceralPeripheral Nervous System DiseasesAnimalsAntiprotozoal AgentsDogsMaleMeglumine AntimoniateAntiprotozoal AgentsMeglumine AntimoniateBlood–nerve barrierDogsLeishmania infantumNeurological signsPathogenesisPeripheral nervous system

Identifiers

PMID40500785
PMCPMC12153087

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