Visceral leishmaniasis derived from Leishmania donovani is transmitted by sand flies (Phlebotomus argentipes) throughout the Indian subcontinent. Although considered anthroponotic, L. donovani infects other mammals susceptible to sand fly bites, including dogs. Aggressive strategies to reduce sand fly populations in India have led to flies seeking nonhuman hosts, so understanding the role of dogs in L. donovani transmission has become critical. Our study investigated L. donovani infection in dogs and the potential for such infections to be transmitted back to sand flies. We performed xenodiagnosis by using P. argentipes on dogs (n = 73) with quantitative PCR–detectible parasitemia in both endemic and outbreak villages. We found that 12% (9/73) of dogs were infectious to sand flies during winter and rainy seasons. Patients with visceral leishmaniasis remain primary sources of L. donovani transmission, but our findings suggest a possible link between canine infection and human exposure.

源自多氏利什曼原虫的内脏利什曼病通过沙蝇 （Phlebotomus argentipes） 传播到整个印度次大陆。虽然被认为是人为的，但多氏利什曼原虫会感染其他易受沙蝇叮咬的哺乳动物，包括狗。在印度，减少沙蝇种群的积极策略导致苍蝇寻找非人类宿主，因此了解狗在 L. donovani 传播中的作用变得至关重要。我们的研究调查了狗的 L. donovani 感染以及此类感染传播回沙蝇的可能性。我们通过在狗 （n = 73） 上使用 P. argentipes 进行异种诊断，并在地方病和暴发村庄进行定量 PCR 可检测的寄生虫血症。我们发现 12% （9/73） 的狗在冬季和雨季对沙蝇具有传染性。内脏利什曼病患者仍然是 L. donovani 传播的主要来源，但我们的研究结果表明犬感染与人类暴露之间存在可能联系。