Eureka! Institutional Repository

Canine leishmaniasis, or CanL (Canine Leishmaniasis) is a vector-borne disease, the female phlebotomine mosquitoes, caused by Leishmania infantum and transmitted primarily between animals and secondarily to humans. A parasitological cure is rarely achieved and clinical relapses of Canine Leishmaniasis are frequent. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, is the most severe form of leishmaniasis. Leishmania infantum is one of the species responsible for the disease and the disease caused is considered a zoonotic disease whose main reservoir is the dog. Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) can lead to the death of the animal if left untreated. In addition, the available pharmacological treatment has many drawbacks, such as relapses, toxicity, drug resistance and the fact that treated animals are still reservoirs when treatment fails to achieve parasitological cure. In addition, the available methods of VL control have not been adequate in terms of controlling parasite transmission. Advances in knowledge of the immune response in recent years have led to a better understanding of the pathogenesis, allowing the development of new immune activation-based therapies, often referred to as immunotherapy. In fact, well-defined protocols have been described, ranging from the use of immunomodulators to the use of vaccines. This therapy, which may also be related to chemotherapy, has been shown to be effective in restoring or inducing an adequate immune response to reduce the parasite burden, leading to clinical improvement. This review focuses on immunotherapy directed at dogs infected with L. infantum, including a literature review of what has already been done in dogs.