{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T22:04:12Z","timestamp":1790805852650,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,31]],"date-time":"2023-07-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1690761600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Sao Paulo Research Foundation","award":["2014\/15807-0"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2014\/15807-0"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and objectives: Feline leishmaniasis (FeL) is caused by several species of parasites of the genus Leishmania. The disease can occur with the presence or absence of clinical signs, similar to those observed in other common infectious diseases. In endemic regions for FeL, the infection has been associated with dermatological lesions. Therefore, considering the search for less invasive and more effective diagnostic techniques, we aimed to investigate the presence of Leishmania spp. in domestic cats through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and high-resolution melting (HRM) analyses of conjunctival, oral, and nasal epithelial cells, and we detected the presence of anti-Leishmania IgG antibodies from serological techniques of the Immunofluorescent Antibody Test (IFAT) and ELISA. Methods: The PCR and HRM for detection of Leishmania spp. were performed on 36 samples of epithelial cells from the conjunctiva of male and female cats, collected using sterile swabs. The serological tests IFAT and ELISA were also performed. Results: The prevalence of Leishmania donovani infection was 11.1% (4\/36) by PCR assay, and those results were confirmed for Leishmania species using the HRM technique. Twenty-four cats (24\/36 = 66.7%) were reactive to the IFAT and twenty-two cats were reactive by the ELISA technique (22\/36 = 61.1%). Interpretation and Conclusions: The use of conjunctival swabs was shown to be a non-invasive, practical, and easy-to-perform technique, and in addition to the genetic sequencing and HRM, it was able to identify the parasitic DNA of L. donovani in cats. This technique can be used for screening diagnosis in future epidemiological surveys of FeL and can be used as a complement to clinical and\/or serological tests, as well as associating the clinical history of the animal, for the diagnostic conclusion.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani13152468","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,31]],"date-time":"2023-07-31T10:00:15Z","timestamp":1690797615000},"page":"2468","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Detection of Leishmania spp. in Cats: Analysis of Nasal, Oral and Conjunctival Swabs by PCR and HRM"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9558-646X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Fernanda","family":"Alves-Martin","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology and Animal Science, School of Engineering, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Ilha Solteira 15385-000, SP, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7971-2021","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Thain\u00e1 Valente","family":"Bertozzo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Tropical Diseases, Botucatu Medical School, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu 18603-560, SP, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5285-3150","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Isabella Neves","family":"Aires","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Tropical Diseases, Botucatu Medical School, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu 18603-560, SP, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8052-5736","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Suzane","family":"Manzini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Tropical Diseases, Botucatu Medical School, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu 18603-560, SP, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9060-2424","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mirian dos Santos","family":"Paix\u00e3o-Marques","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Tropical Diseases, Botucatu Medical School, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu 18603-560, SP, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1690-1693","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"L\u00edvia Ma\u00edsa","family":"Guiraldi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Tropical Diseases, Botucatu Medical School, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu 18603-560, SP, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8042-5524","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wesley Jos\u00e9","family":"dos Santos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Tropical Diseases, Botucatu Medical School, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu 18603-560, SP, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0394-0589","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gabriela Pacheco","family":"S\u00e1nchez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine (UCI), Irvine, CA 92697-2525, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3393-0493","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vera Cl\u00e1udia Lorenzetti Magalh\u00e3es","family":"Curci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biological Institute, Ara\u00e7atuba Regional Laboratory, Ara\u00e7atuba 16050-230, SP, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8312-7397","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Virg\u00ednia Bodel\u00e3o","family":"Richini-Pereira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Adolfo Lutz Institute, Bauru II Regional Laboratory Center, Bauru 17015-110, SP, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4842-5281","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Simone Baldini","family":"Lucheis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Tropical Diseases, Botucatu Medical School, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu 18603-560, SP, Brazil"},{"name":"Department of Animal Production and Preventive Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu 18618-681, SP, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2022, October 03). 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