Serological survey of Leishmania infantum in apparently healthy dogs in different areas of Spain

BACKGROUND: Canine leishmaniosis caused by Leishmania infantum is an endemic disease in Spain. The dog is considered the main reservoir, and the detection of specific serum antibodies against L. infantum antigen is the most used technique for diagnosing this infection. The LEISCAN LEISHMANIA ELISA test is a commercialized enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay for the detection and measurement of canine anti‐Leishmania serum antibodies. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess seroprevalence results of apparently healthy dogs in different areas of Spain using LEISCAN. METHODS: Collection of sera from 5451 apparently healthy dogs was performed between 2020 and 2021 in different areas of Spain. Dogs were of adult age (≥12 months), were not previously diagnosed with clinical leishmaniosis or vaccinated against Leishmania and did not present clinical signs compatible with L. infantum infection. LEISCAN was performed following the manufacturer's protocol. RESULTS: The overall seroprevalence was 5.5%. The highest seroprevalences were found in the Southeast of Spain: Comunidad Valenciana (14%) and Región de Murcia (14%), whereas the lowest seroprevalences were found in Northern Spain: Galicia (1%), Navarra (2%) and Castilla y León (2%) (p‐value <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the seroprevalence for L. infantum in apparently healthy dogs in Spain varied from almost no infection to being over 10%.