canine antibody response to phlebotomus perniciosus bites negatively correlates with the risk of leishmania infantum transmission犬类抗体反应phlebotomus perniciosus咬婴儿利什曼虫传播的风险呈负相关.pdfVIP

Canine Antibody Response to Phlebotomus perniciosus Bites Negatively Correlates with the Risk of Leishmania infantum Transmission 1 1 1 2 2 Michaela Vlkova *, Iva Rohousova , Jan Drahota , Dorothee Stanneck , Eva Maria Kruedewagen , 2 3 1 Norbert Mencke , Domenico Otranto , Petr Volf 1 Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic, 2 Bayer Animal Health GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany, 3 Department of Veterinary Public Health and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Bari, Bari, Italy Abstract Background: Phlebotomine sand flies are blood-sucking insects that can transmit Leishmania parasites. Hosts bitten by sand flies develop an immune response against sand fly salivary antigens. Specific anti-saliva IgG indicate the exposure to the vector and may also help to estimate the risk of Leishmania spp. transmission. In this study, we examined the canine antibody response against the saliva of Phlebotomus perniciosus, the main vector of Leishmania infantum in the Mediterranean Basin, and characterized salivary antigens of this sand fly species. Methodology/Principal Findings: Sera of dogs bitten by P. perniciosus under experimental conditions and dogs naturally exposed to sand flies in a L. infantum focus were tested by ELISA for the presence of anti-P. perniciosus antibodies. Antibody levels positively correlated with the number of blood-fed P. perniciosus females. In naturally exposed dogs the increase of specific IgG, IgG1 and IgG2 was observed during sand fly season. Importantly, Leishmania-positive dogs revealed sign