Atypical tumor-like mass os canine visceral leishmaniasis

Canine visceral leishmaniasis is an important zoonosis caused by the protozoa Leishmania infantum (syn. Leishmania chagasi), whose clinical manifestations are dependent on the immune response expressed by the infected animal and the virulence of the parasite. Atypical clinical forms of canine visceral leishmaniasis have been reported. The purpose of this paper was to describe a tumor-like lesion form of canine visceral leishmaniasis and to alert clinical and pathologists veterinarians to the importance of its diagnosis. Amastigote forms were observed by cytopathological, histopathological and immunohistochemistry analysis from the tumour-like lesion and Leishmania infantum was isolated by culture from spleen, liver, lymph nodes and bone marrow samples. Clinical and pathologist veterinarians should include the canine visceral leishmaniasis in the differential diagnosis of tumors and chronic affections of oral mucosa, mainly in endemic regions of the disease.