Known Strains
Numerous strains and subgenus strains of Leishmania exist; with sandfly genome projects still underway, strains are still being discovered.
In the Old World, leishmaniasis transmitted by sandflies of the genus Phlebotomus documented in dogs are:
- L. infantum (began appearing dogs in the United States in 2000)
- L. donovani in Sri Lanka
New World leishmaniasis strains are spread by Lutzomyia; however, research speculates the North American sandfly could be capable of spreading, but this is to date unconfirmed. Dogs are known resorvoirs of L. infantum, and the spread of disease from dog to dog has been confirmed in the United States.
- Suspected causes of canine visceral leishmaniasis are geographic variants of the Leishmania donovani complex, including L. infantum, L. chagasi and L. donovani.
The Mexicana (L. mexicana, L. amazonensis, L. venezuelensis, and L. pifanoi) and Viannia (L. braziliensis, L. guyanensis, L. panamensis and L. peruviana) strains are not commonly found in dogs. Subgenus Viannia strains are found only in Central and South America, all of which cause leishmaniasis in humans.
Read more about this topic: Canine Leishmaniasis
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