Abstract
The Mediterranean region is recognized as one of the most impacted areas of which Algeria has been traditionally acknowledged as endemic for leishmaniasis. This study carried out in Algiers, north-central Algeria, aimed to carry outa serological and clinical investigation of canine leishmaniasis (CanL) invarious dog breeds, outlining the risk factors associated with Leishmania infection. Blood samples, along with clinical data and general information, were gathered and examined from 305 dogs, of which 210 were males and 95 were females. Numerous breeds made up this sample, including the local breed, German shepherd, pitbul, foxhound, among others. Anti-Leishmania IgG antibodies were detected using IFAT and samples were scored as positive at a cut-off dilution of ≥ 1:80. Anti-Leishmania antibodies were detected (95% CI 15.21-24.13%) of dogs of which 6.48% were clinically asymptomatic. Factors such as age, breed, and presence of clinical signs of leishmaniasis were found to significantly impact the prevalence of Leishmania infection, while gender did not show a significant association. The highest rates of infection were found in dogs aged 4-6 years (33.33%) and over 6 years (34.62%) (p < 0.001). In relation to breed, local dogs showed a significantly lower infection rate compared to other breeds (p < 0.01). All dogs that were clinically diagnosed with leishmaniasis tested seropositive and the predominant clinical sign noted were adenopathy (81.40%), weight loss (67.44%) and skin ulcers (48.84%). Adenopathy was significantly more frequent (4.38-11.67 times) compared to the other symptoms (p < 0.001). The isoenzymatic characterization of30seropositive dogs revealed the presence of the zymodeme L. infantum MON-1. The current study confirmed the endemic status of CanLin Algeriaand identified several factors that may influence the seropositivity in the study region. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12639-025-01801-7.