Open AccessTesticular and seminal evaluation of dogs naturally infected with Leishmania sp.
Author(s) -
Luanna Soares de Melo Evangelista,
Marcos Antônio Celestino de Sousa Filho,
Marinérica do Nascimento e Silva,
Geórgia Brenda Barros Alves,
Rayssa Maria de Araújo Carvalho,
Nair Silva Cavalcanti de Lira,
Joilson Ferreira Batista,
Ivete Lopes de Mendonça,
José Adalmir Torres de Souza
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
semina. ciências agrárias
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.268
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1679-0359
pISSN - 1676-546X
DOI - 10.5433/1679-0359.2019v40n1p217
Subject(s) - histopathology , semen , biology , testosterone (patch) , leishmania , testicle , andrology , physiology , pathology , veterinary medicine , medicine , endocrinology , anatomy , parasite hosting , world wide web , computer science
The objective of this study was to evaluate the testicular changes and detect the presence of Leishmania sp. in the testicles and semen of dogs with Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL). The animals were obtained from the Zoonoses Control Department of Teresina, PI, and taken to the kennel of the Agricultural Sciences Center of the Federal University of Piauí, where they remained were maintained for two months and subsequently euthanized for testicles removal. Semen samples were collected from 12 dogs, 06 positive and 06 negative for VL. The following diagnostic techniques readouts were assessed for the sampled animals: testosterone dosage, immunohistochemistry (IMH), histopathology of the slides containing the testicular material, and seminal evaluation by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Testosterone values remained within the normal range for the canine specie and did not differ statistically among the experimental groups but displayed lower serum concentrations than those of the control group. All the testicular and semen samples from the dogs were negative for VL as determined by techniques IMH and PCR, respectively. The results of testicle histopathology revealed the presence of several lesions with statistical difference among the experimental groups. Parasitized dogs with VL have testicular lesions that may compromise the reproductive efficiency of these animals.