Seroepidemiologcal Investigation of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Stray and Owned Dogs In Alborz Province, Central Iran Using Direct Agglutination Test

BACKGROUND The aim of present study was to determine the seroprevalence of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) among stray and owned dogs in Kouhsar district of Alborz Province, central Iran. METHODS The study was performed from March 2011 to July 2011 using Direct Agglutination Test (DAT). Three hundred and thirty seven dogs including 257 stary and 80 owned dogs were selected by random sampling. The agreement between serological data and sex, age, life style of dogs and clinical signs were assessed by Chi-square. RESULTS DAT showed that from 337 serum samples collected from owned and stray dogs, 12sera (3.6%) were positive. The seroprevalance was 10% (8/80) among owned dogs and 1.6% (4/257) among stray dogs. A significant difference in seroplevalance was seen between owned and stray dogs (P = 0.01). The highest seroprevalence rate (14%) was observed among the ownership dogs of 5 years old and above. Statistical analysis revealed significant relation between seroprelvalence and age (P= 0.02). There was no statistically significant relation between male (6.3%) and female (2.2%) seroprevalence (P= 0.085). CONCLUSION This survey indicates the importance and necessity of serologic screening of visceral leishmaniasis in human and dogs in Kouhsar district.