{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,26]],"date-time":"2026-09-26T19:54:05Z","timestamp":1790452445246,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,12]],"date-time":"2025-09-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1757635200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Ministerio de Economia y Finanzas de Panama","award":["MEF 3.04.20"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MEF 3.04.20"]}]},{"name":"Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies","award":["MEF 3.04.20"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MEF 3.04.20"]}]},{"name":"Sistema Nacional de Investigaci\u00f3n (SNI-SENACYT)","award":["MEF 3.04.20"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MEF 3.04.20"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a vector-borne zoonotic disease affecting the skin and mucous membranes of animals and humans. While CL is commonly diagnosed and studied in humans in Panama, limited information exists on its occurrence in domestic animals and their potential role as reservoirs. In this study, samples from twelve domestic animals (ten dogs and two horses) with suspected CL lesions were collected between 2021 and 2025 in endemic regions of Panama and evaluated using multiple diagnostic methods. Leishmania infection was confirmed in six of them (50%): five dogs and one horse. Three dogs were infected with Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis, representing the first molecularly confirmed cases of this species in dogs from Panama and Central America. Two dogs tested positive for Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum, though epidemiological evidence suggests these were imported cases. Notably, Leishmania (Mundinia) martiniquensis was identified in a horse, marking the first report of this species in equines in Central America. These findings indicate a broader diversity of Leishmania species circulating in domestic animals than previously recognized and highlight their potential role in sustaining transmission cycles. The study underscores the need for enhanced surveillance of animal reservoirs to better understand the epidemiology and public health risks of CL in Panama.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15182677","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,12]],"date-time":"2025-09-12T12:34:03Z","timestamp":1757680443000},"page":"2677","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Molecular Detection of Leishmania (V.) braziliensis and Leishmania (M.) martiniquensis Infecting Domestic Animals from Panama, Central America"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2847-2419","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vanessa","family":"Pineda","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Investigaci\u00f3n en Parasitolog\u00eda, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Panama 0816-02593, Panama"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6669-4290","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jose E.","family":"Calzada","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Investigaci\u00f3n en Parasitolog\u00eda, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Panama 0816-02593, Panama"},{"name":"Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad de Panama, Panama 0816-03366, Panama"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Santiago","family":"Montilla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Estaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica Experimental, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Panama 0816-02593, Panama"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Indra","family":"Rodr\u00edguez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cl\u00ednica Veterinaria Mundo Animal, Panama 0816-03352, Panama"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Erika","family":"Howard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cl\u00ednica de Diagn\u00f3stico Integral Veterinario (CADIV), Panama 0816-46686, Panama"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-2430-4387","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alicia I.","family":"Torres","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Cl\u00ednicas y Cirug\u00edas Veterinarias, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria, Complejo Hospitalario Veterinario de Corozal, Universidad de Panam\u00e1, Panama 0816-03366, Panama"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vanessa","family":"Vasquez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Investigaci\u00f3n en Parasitolog\u00eda, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Panama 0816-02593, Panama"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0414-8454","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adelys","family":"Reina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Investigaci\u00f3n en Parasitolog\u00eda, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Panama 0816-02593, Panama"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5653-1332","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Azael","family":"Salda\u00f1a","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n y Diagn\u00f3stico de Enfermedades Parasitarias (CIDEP), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Panam\u00e1, Panama 0816-03366, Panama"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7297-1322","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kadir","family":"Gonz\u00e1lez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Investigaci\u00f3n en Parasitolog\u00eda, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Panama 0816-02593, Panama"},{"name":"Departamento de Microbiolog\u00eda Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Panam\u00e1, Panama 0816-03366, Panama"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Pan American Health Organization (2024). 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