000171792 001__ 171792
000171792 005__ 20260603114408.0
000171792 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1186/s13071-026-07424-y
000171792 0248_ $$2sideral$$a149466
000171792 037__ $$aART-2026-149466
000171792 041__ $$aeng
000171792 100__ $$aQuintas, Hélder
000171792 245__ $$aSeroprevalence and associated factors of Leishmania infantum in small ruminants in Portugal
000171792 260__ $$c2026
000171792 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted
000171792 5203_ $$aBackground
Leishmaniosis is a vector-borne disease caused by Leishmania parasites transmitted by infected phlebotomine sand flies. In the epidemiological study reported here, we investigated exposure to Leishmania infantum in sheep (Ovis aries) and goats (Capra hircus) in mainland Portugal.
Methods
A cross-sectional serosurvey was conducted in three geographical regions of Portugal (Trás-os-Montes, Centre and South), with sampling in 19 municipalities and 87 localities.
Results
A total of 2124 small ruminants were tested (1820 sheep and 304 goats). Overall seroprevalence was 21.3% (453/2124; 95% confidence interval [CI] 19.6–23.1), with higher seropositivity in sheep than goats (22.4% vs 15.1%). Univariable analysis showed that ruminant species and reported contact between goats and sheep were statistically associated with seropositivity, but these associations were not detected in the subset of 1851 animals used for multivariable modelling. Rather, multivariable logistic regression analysis (n = 1851) showed that several management and biosecurity factors were linked to an increased risk of infection. Increased odds of infection were observed in non-autochthonous breeds (odds ratio [OR] 2.163), holdings without goat–sheep contact (OR 1.920), high aeration/ventilation (OR 1.964), suboptimal drinking fountain hygiene (OR up to 6.221), biannual versus annual disinfection (OR 2.459) and not using equipment from other farms (OR 2.189). Permanent confinement was protective (OR 0.415).
Conclusions
These results indicate widespread exposure of Portuguese flocks to L. infantum, highlighting the relevance of husbandry practices. Further research is needed to determine whether sheep and goats develop clinical disease and to clarify the implications for animal and public health.
000171792 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es
000171792 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
000171792 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0001-5816-6167$$aLebrero, María Eugenia$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000171792 700__ $$aJacob-Ferreira, João
000171792 700__ $$0(orcid)0009-0003-9757-3840$$aQuilez, Pablo$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000171792 700__ $$aGuallar, David$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000171792 700__ $$aCoelho, Ana Cláudia
000171792 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-7822-6646$$aLacasta, Delia$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000171792 700__ $$aMarteles-Aragüés, Diana$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000171792 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-8474-2831$$aRuíz, Héctor$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000171792 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-7655-2472$$aRuiz de Arcaute, Marta$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000171792 700__ $$aCardoso, Luís
000171792 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0001-6209-4282$$aVillanueva-Saz, Sergio$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000171792 7102_ $$11009$$2773$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Patología Animal$$cÁrea Sanidad Animal
000171792 7102_ $$11009$$2617$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Patología Animal$$cÁrea Medicina y Cirugía Animal
000171792 773__ $$g19, 1 (2026), [11 pp.]$$pParasit. vectors$$tParasites & vectors$$x1756-3305
000171792 8564_ $$s1000962$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/171792/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada
000171792 8564_ $$s2002121$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/171792/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada
000171792 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:171792$$particulos$$pdriver
000171792 951__ $$a2026-06-03-11:05:28
000171792 980__ $$aARTICLE