Table 3.
Parasitological, serological, and clinical results from experimental Leishmania infections in cats
| Cats (n) | Leishmania species | Inoculum | Route | Sampling | Evidence of infection | Serology | Clinical abnormalities | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | L. infantum (French strain) | 8 × 108 amastigotes (isolated from a French dog and maintained by serial passages in golden hamsters) | IV | 2 cats necropsied at 1 h PI, and weeks 1, 2, 4 and 8 PI | Parasites in spleen, liver, bone marrow (cytology or culture) and blood culture from 1 to 8 weeks PI | IFAT: highly positive from 1 to 8 weeks PI | None | [39] |
| 5 | L. infantum (Brazilian strain) | 5 × 107 amastigotes (isolated from a human being in Brazil and maintained by serial passages in golden hamsters) | IV | Cats necropsied at weeks 4 (n = 1), 16 (n = 2) and 24 (n = 2) | Parasites in spleen, liver and bone marrow (cytology or culture) from week 4 to 16, but not at week 24 (no parasites cultured from blood at any point) | IFAT: highly positive from weeks 2 to 24 (rise to 30-fold at the end of the study) | None | [39] |
| 6 | L. infantum (Brazilian strain) | 5 × 107 promastigotes (in vitro cultivation of the above human strain) | ID (thorax) | Pairs of cats necropsies at weeks 4, 16 and 24; blood culture at weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 24 | No parasites detected at necropsy (bone marrow, spleen or liver) or blood cultures | IFAT: positive from weeks 2 to 24 (lower than for cats IV inoculated) | None | [39] |
| 3 | L. infantum (Brazilian strain) | 108 promastigotes (derived from cultures of the splenic tissue from one IV inoculated cat) | ID | Necropsies at 12 weeks PI | Negative cultures of different tissues | ND | None | [39] |
| 6 + 6 | L. donovani (Kenyan strain) | 106 promastigotes | IC + IV | 2 cats necropsied at months 1 to 6 PI | Negative on blood, bone marrow, liver, spleen, kidney and lymph node cultures and smears | ND | None | [45] |
| 13 | L. braziliensis (Brazilian strain) | 107 promastigotes | ID (ear and nose) | Follow-up for 72 weeks (n = 9) | Positive parasite cultures from aspirates of a primary ear lesion at week 6 | ELISA: positive at week 2; all cats were seropositive at week 20; after self-healing, 3 cats remained seropositive until the end of the study and none of them had lesion recurrence | Single papules on the ear and nose as early at week 2; regression at about 32 and 40 weeks PI in the ear and nose, respectively; one cat had lesion recurrence on the ear 4 months after self-healing | [46] |
| 4 cats necropsied at weeks 4, 12, 16 and 24 | Negative cultures and imprints from liver, spleen and bone marrow |
ELISA: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; IC: intracardiac; ID: intradermal; IFAT: immunofluorescence antibody test; IV: intravenous; ND: not done; PI: post-infection