A MODEL OF A REGIONAL SURVEILLANCE PROJECT ON CANINE LEIHMANIASIS IN ITALY

Leishmaniasis, due to Leishmania infantum, is a protozoan vector-borne disease and a serious public health trouble. The parasite causes the visceral and cutaneous leishmaniases in humans and a systemic, chronic disease (Can L) in the dog, considered the main reservoir of the infection. Can L is endemic in the whole Mediterranean Basin. In Italy, classical endemic areas are the central and southern peninsular regions, mainly along the Tyrrenian coasts and the islands. Since the mid-1980s a progressive diffusion of the infection has been observed both in the old foci and towards previously free northern ones. In the Emilia Romagna region, in the past, an important outbreak of Visceral Leismaniasis occurred in a hilly area to the south of Bologna, without evidence of a canine reservoir. During the last 10 years, new outbreaks of Can L and the re-emergence of the old focus have been reported. A moderate risk for human disease exists, as more and more cases of Visceral disease are occurring. As a consequence of this epidemiological situation the Emilia Romagna Region has promoted a regional surveillance program with the aim to: build risk maps of the disease based on entomological data, on active surveillance in public kennels and in the surroundings of human cases and on passive monitoring with the help of vet practitioners. The encouraging results of this complex activity will be reported and discussed