foxes in kalazar

CHRIS DYE C.DYE at lshtm.ac.uk
Mon May 1 08:43:57 BRT 1995


FOXES AND KALA-AZAR

Two comments:

1. The evidence that Cerdocyon thous is a reservoir of kala-azar is 
based on the fact that parasites have been isolated from this animal, 
most efficiently by inoculating material into hamsters. Until 
recently, very few experiments had allowed sandflies to feed on foxes 
to show that they are actually infectious. One laboratory experiment 
(Lainson et al, Mem Oswaldo Cruz 85, 135, 1990) successfully 
infected sandflies, but the results of such studies with potentially 
stressed animals are always questionable. Recently, Orin Courtenay, 
Rupert Quinnell and myself have carried out extensive xenodiagnostic 
experiments with naturally-infected wild-caught C. thous finding that 
none of them were capable of transmitting infection to sandflies. We 
are now in the process of confirming exactly what fraction of these 
foxes were infected (going beyond prelimniary serology etc), but these 
results raise considerable doubts in our minds about the role of 
C. thous as a reservoir.

2. The identity of the fox implicated as a reserovir of VL in north-
east Brazil is also in doubt. There is a strong possibility that it 
was misidentified, and was really C. thous, not D. vetulus. Orin 
Courtenay in Belem (belproj at ftpt.br) can provide more information.

Chris Dye
Vector Biology & Epidemiology Unit
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

*******************************************************
> 
> Dear Colleagues
>     I searched the Medline from 66 till now to see if I could find any
> references on brazilian foxes as reservoirs in kala-azar. Jeffrey Shaw's 
> papers were there but I could not find a single paper on Dusycion vetulus,
> the northeastern brazilian fox. Does anyone can help me?
> Paulo Andrade
> Departamento de Genetica / Universidade Federal de Pernambuco/ Brasil
> 


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