Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

The Program for Control of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Brazil: Effect of Systematic Euthanasia of Seropositive Dogs as Single Control Action in Porteirinha, a Brazilian City with Intense Transmission of Visceral Leishmaniasis

João Carlos França-Silva
,
Rodolpho Cordeiro Giunchetti
,
Reysla Maria da Silveira Mariano
,
George Luiz Lins Machado Coelho
ORCID logo ,
Luciana de Almeida Silva Teixeira
,
Ricardo Andrade Barata
,
Érika Monteiro Michalsky
,
Marilia Fonseca Rocha
,
Consuelo Latorre Fortes-Dias
,
Edelberto Santos Dias
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 12 July 2023 / Approved: 13 July 2023 / Online: 14 July 2023 (09:49:30 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

França-Silva, J.C.; Giunchetti, R.C.; Mariano, R.M.S.; Machado-Coelho, G.L.L.; Teixeira, L.A.S.; Barata, R.A.; Michalsky, É.M.; Rocha, M.F.; Fortes-Dias, C.L.; Dias, E.S. The Program for the Control of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Brazil: The Effect of the Systematic Euthanasia of Seropositive Dogs as a Single Control Action in Porteirinha, a Brazilian City with an Intense Transmission of Visceral Leishmaniasis. Pathogens 2023, 12, 1060. França-Silva, J.C.; Giunchetti, R.C.; Mariano, R.M.S.; Machado-Coelho, G.L.L.; Teixeira, L.A.S.; Barata, R.A.; Michalsky, É.M.; Rocha, M.F.; Fortes-Dias, C.L.; Dias, E.S. The Program for the Control of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Brazil: The Effect of the Systematic Euthanasia of Seropositive Dogs as a Single Control Action in Porteirinha, a Brazilian City with an Intense Transmission of Visceral Leishmaniasis. Pathogens 2023, 12, 1060.

Abstract

Background: Porteirinha is endemic for visceral leishmaniasis (VL), with intense disease transmission of the disease. We evaluated the impact of canine euthanasia as a single control measure on the incidence of VL in humans and canines. Methods: A prospective observational cohort study was carried out over four years (1998–2002) in eight of the 12 neighborhoods of the city. The dynamics of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) transmission were evaluated for 2 years, before beginning the screening-culling intervention. The comparative morbidity index (CMI) was used to stratify areas with the greatest risk of CVL, and the spatial distribution of human and canine VL cases was compared using univariate and bivariate K functions. Results: Human cases conglomerated in three neighborhoods. Spatial clusters were detected for CVL in 1998, 2000, and 2001, but not in 1999, when greater spatial dispersion occurred. The screening and culling intervention reduced the number of human VL cases and decreased the incidence of CVL, mainly in neighbor-hoods with a high CMI. Conclusions: The systematic euthanasia of seropositive dogs was shown to be an effective control action of the Program for Control of Visceral Leishmaniasis (PCLV) in Brazil. The fundamental role of domestic dogs in the epidemiological chain of VL was reaffirmed.

Keywords

Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum; Canine visceral leishmaniasis; Human visceral leishmaniasis; Lutzomyia longipalpis; American visceral leishmaniasis, canine euthanasia

Subject

Public Health and Healthcare, Public Health and Health Services

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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