Histopathological pattern of exfoliative and ulcerative skin lesions in dogs with leishmaniasis

Abstract

Canine visceral leishmaniasis is an endemic infectious disease in some São Paulo state regions and even though it is a systemic disease, in the dog, the main clinical sign is dermatological. Thirty dogs with positive results in serology and parasitological exams for leishmaniasis from Araçatuba city were evaluated. They just showed dermatological signs and were divided in two groups, one with exfoliative (n=15) and other with ulcerative (n=15) lesions. Histopathological patterns in the group of exfoliative lesions were: periadnexial dermatitis (5/15, 33,3%), superficial perivascular dermatitis (1/15, 6,6%), nodular dermatitis (1/15, 6,6%) and mixed dermatitis (8/15, 53,3%), including intersticial/periadnexial dermatitis (1/8, 12,5%), lichenoid/perivascular superficial and deep dermatitis (1/8, 12,5%), perivascular superficial and deep/periadnexial dermatitis (1/8, 12,5%) and superficial perivascular/perianexial dermatitis (5/8, 62,5%). In the group of ulcerative lesions, the histopathological patterns were: perivascular superficial and deep dermatitis (5/15, 33,3%), diffuse dermatitis (3/15, 20%), periadnexial dermatitis (2/15, 13,3%), nodular dermatitis (1/15, 6,6%) and mixed dermatitis (4/15, 26,6%), including intersticial/ perivascular superficial and deep dermatitis (1/4, 25%), nodular/periadnexial dermatitis (1/4, 25%), fibrosing/perianexial dermatitis (1/4, 25%) and perivascular superficial and deep/ periadnexial dermatitis(1/4, 25%). Parasites were found in eight dogs (8/15, 53,3%) with exfoliative dematitis and seven (7/15, 46,6%) with ulcerative dermatitis.