Leishmune ® vaccine blocks the transmission of canine visceral leishmaniasis

• Published in: Vaccine 2005-09, Vol.23 (40), p.4805-4810
• Main Authors: Nogueira, F.S., Moreira, M.A.B., Borja-Cabrera, G.P., Santos, F.N., Menz, I., Parra, L.E., Xu, Z., Chu, H.J., Palatnik-de-Sousa, C.B., Luvizotto, M.C.R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Canine visceral leishmaniasis; FML-vaccine; Transmission blocking vaccines
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2005.05.011

Leishmune ® vaccine is the first licensed vaccine against canine visceral leishmaniasis. It contains the Fucose–Mannose-ligand (FML) antigen of Leishmania donovani. The potential Leishmune ® vaccine effect on the interruption of the transmission of the disease, was assayed by monitoring, in untreated ( n = 40) and vaccinated dogs ( n = 32) of a Brazilian epidemic area: the kala-azar clinical signs, the FML-seropositivity and the Leishmania parasite evidence by immunohistochemistry of skin and PCR for Leishmanial DNA of lymph node and blood samples. On month 11 after vaccination, untreated controls showed: 25% of symptomatic cases, 50% of FML-seropositivity, 56.7% of lymph node PCR, 15.7% of blood PCR and 25% of immunohistochemical positive reactions. The Leishmune ®-vaccinated dogs showed 100% of seropositivity to FML and a complete absence of clinical signs and of parasites (0%) in skin, lymph node and blood PCR samples ( p < 0.01). The positivity in FML-ELISA in untreated dogs significantly correlates with the PCR in lymph node samples ( p < 0.001) and with the increase in number of symptoms ( p = 0.006) being strong markers of infectiousness. The absence of symptoms and of evidence of Leishmania DNA and parasites in Leishmune ®-vaccinated animals indicates the non-infectious condition of the Leishmune ®-vaccinated dogs.