Comparing the immunogenicity of the attenuated line of Leishmania infantum with Leishmania infantum wild-type in dog

Introduction: .Leishmania is an intracellular protozoan which is responsible wide spectrum of diseases, ranging from cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) to visceral leishmaniasis (VL). VL is endemic in some areas of Iran. Immunization of dogs to prevent infection could be beneficial as dogs are both the natural host and the main reservoir of L. infantum. Control VL in the dog can lead to a reduced prevalence of disease in human populations (3). An attenuated line of L. infantum (L. infantum), developed through exposure to gentamicin, has been shown to protect dogs against canine visceral leishmaniasis. Previously we reported that the anti-Leishmania-specific total IgG in the sera of mixed breed dogs was raised after immunization with the attenuated line of L. infantum. Here, we compare the levels of total IgG in the sera of mixed breed dogs were exposed to attenuated line of L. infantum or wild-type of parasites.Methods: Mixed healthy dogs were infected with stationary phase promastigotes of the attenuated line of L. infantum or L. infantum wild-type. The dogs were infected by injection intradermally 100 μL of the suspension of promastigotes. After 6 months post-infection, sera anti-Leishmania-specific IgG antibody were measured by immunofluorescence assay (IFA).Results: Total Leishmania-specific IgG antibody was measured using indirect IFA in the sera of the dogs. All dogs produced Leishmania-specific IgG antibody during the 6 months of post-immunization.Conclusion: We reported that anti-Leishmania-specific total IgG in the sera of mixed breed dogs was raised after immunization with the attenuated line of L. infantum. (Fallah, et al.. (2018). In the present study, we found that there is not any difference between the levels of anti-Leishmania-specific total IgG in the sera of mixed breed dogs were infected with the attenuated line of L. infantum or wild-type of parasites.