Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease spread by the bite of the sandfly
(although there is some research now to see if its limited to sandflies or
if it can be spread by ticks or mosquitoes as well, similar to lymes
disease) and can cause skin disease and systemic disease. The systemic form
can be fatal. It can be treated in humans, but there is no  treatment for
canine hosts (dogs and foxes are the most common hosts and cats are rarely
ever effected) and the most common "treatment" in rural areas is to just
euthanize and bury or burn infected animals before they can spread the
parasite to other areas. The sandflies can also bite humans causing circular
lesions on the skin (or on internal organs, bone marrow, and in the lymph
system) that are similar to leprosy. It is  very serious and resulting scars
can require plastic surgery to repair. Transmission requires the bite of the
fly, it cannot be spread dog-to-dog or dog-to-human-- but like heartworms,
if a fly bites an infected dog and then bites another dog/ human it will
spread the parasite (although if you were to give a blood transfusion from
one infected host to another it would also spread the parasite)

leishmanial infections can result in 2 main forms of disease, cutaneous
leishmaniasis and visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar).  The factors
determining the form of disease include leishmanial species, geographic
location, and immune response of the host.  Cutaneous leishmaniasis is
characterized by one or more cutaneous lesions on areas where sandflies have
fed.  Persons (or dogs) who have cutaneous leishmaniasis have one or more
sores on their skin.  The sores can change in size and appearance over time.
They often end up looking somewhat like a volcano, with a raised edge and
central crater.  A scab covers some sores.  The sores can be painless or
painful.  Some people have swollen glands near the sores (for example, in
the armpit if the sores are on the arm or hand).

Hosts who have visceral leishmaniasis usually have fever, weight loss, and
an enlarged spleen and liver (usually the spleen is bigger than the liver).
Some patients have swollen glands.  Certain blood tests are abnormal.  For
example, patients usually have low blood counts, including a low red blood
cell count (anemia), low white blood cell count, and low platelet count.
Some patients develop post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis.  Visceral
leishmaniasis is becoming an important opportunistic infection in areas
where it coexists with HIV.

Visceral leishmaniasis is praticularly lethal and can be a real problem in
imported dogs-- you wont see an obvious problem until the lesions have
developed and caused serious damage to the spleen, bone marrow, or other
internal organs-- the dog is most likely going to require euthanasia-- any
treatment at that stage will be expensive and have a poor outcome. "regular
US vets" have little experience with this problem and it may go unrecognized
for a long time if tests are not done to check for the problem

the disease is not limited to south america-- 21 US states have also
reported the disease (especially in foxhounds)
http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/oct00/s101500f.asp

I would STRONGLY recommend ANY IMPORTED DOG to be blood tested for the
parasite, even if no obvious signs of the disease are currently present as
there might be no signs for weeks or months while the internal organs are
being effected

http://www.leishmaniasis.info/leishmaniasis_2.htm

Heres some links to more information



http://tinyurl.com/45ehs

http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/HTML/Leishmaniasis.htm

www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/leishmania/factsht_leishmania.htm

http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~parasite/leishmania.html

www.baylor.edu/~Charles_Kemp/leishmaniasis.htm








> I would  hold off  with importing a pup from Brazil   resently
there was an
> out break of Leshminosous(sp) alot of breeders in Minas  lost dogs
(young ,old
> ,even in welp) and even some in Spain, i was going to  import a
couple  more
> pups  but Im holding off till next yr . casue  of  it. If your in
desperate
> needs to import try the southern part of  Brazil.