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Background   Leishmania infantum  is a vector-borne pathogen endemic in countries in the Mediterranean basin, including Italy. Dogs act as the primary reservoir for this parasite, but other animal species may also be infected. Low-to-moderate seroprevalence levels of infection have been reported in apparent healthy equine populations in southern Europe, reinforcing the importance of exploring those species, including horses, that act as a food source for vectors and may thus participate in the epizoological scenario of canine leishmaniosis (CanL) and zoonotic visceral leishmaniosis (ZVL). Since little is known regarding the exposure to  L. infantum  in horses in Italy, we assessed the seroprevalence in healthy equine populations from different CanL endemic areas.    Methods  The survey was conducted on 660 apparently healthy horses distributed throughout central and northern regions of Italy between 2016 and 2019. Blood samples were collected and the presence of anti- Leishmania  antibodies (IgG) was investigated by the immunofluorescence antibody test. Information on the location and altitude of the stables, along with the horses’ breed, age, sex, and reproductive status was obtained by filling in a questionnaire. This was then used for statistical analysis by generalized linear models to explore risk factors associated with seroreactivity to  L. infantum .    Results  An average seroprevalence of 13.9% was detected for  L. infantum  in the equine populations investigated, with statistically significant associations between seroprevalence, geographical variables (northern  vs  central Italy, origin and altitude) and individual factors (i.e. age and breed morphotype).    Conclusions  Our results highlight that horses are frequently exposed to  L. infantum . Further prevalence surveys in horses, also using direct methods (e.g. PCR), are warranted to clarify the role of these hosts in the epidemiology of  Leishmania  in Italy.

parasites and vectors

Detecting antibodies to Leishmania infantum in horses from areas with different epizooticity levels of canine leishmaniosis and a retrospective revision of Italian data