A Serologic Survey on Canine Leishmaniasis in Kocaeli, Sakarya, Mersin and Elazig Provinces of Turkey

The aims of this pilot study were to determine the seroprevalence of canine leishmaniasis in Kocaeli, Sakarya, Mersin and Elazig provinces and make a general evaluation of the serologic prevelence of Canine Leishmaniasis (CanL) in Turkey. For this purpose, 111 sera were collected from dogs of different breeds, ages and sexes. Anti-Leishmania IgG antibodies were detected with a commercially available IFAT kit. The relationship between location, breed, age, sex and the seropositivity were evaluated with Chi Square (X-2) test. At the end of the study, the overall seroprevalence was determined as 7.20% (8/111). Seroprevalance rates were 5%, 10.52% and 18.75% in Sakarya, Kocaeli and Mersin provinces, respectively; however, no antibodies were detected in dogs from Elazig. There was no statistical difference in breed, sex and age groups (P>0.05). The prevalence of infection in the province of Mersin was significantly higher than in Elazig (p<0.05). The mean seroprevalence of CanL was calculated as 7.29% for Turkey, which is similar to our results (7.20%). In this study, we gave information about the serostatus of CanL in four different provinces of Turkey. We consider that further studies are required for a clearer understanding of the parasite epidemiology and effective control measures.