Therapeutic vaccination reverses severe canine leishmaniasis: a case report

Background: Treatment of canine leishmaniasis (CanL), a severe infection caused by L. infantum , is often challenging, e.g. fails due to the development of resistance of the pathogen to the medication and/or has severe side effects. Alternative treatment e.g. the use of immunomodulators has also been suggested and is already applied. Findings: Here, we report a case of a dog naturally infected by CanL, that was clinically in a severe life-threatend situation. The dog was vaccinated by a single dose of Letifend® and the dog recovered surprisingly well, within a couple of weeks. The clinical profile as well as parameters of clinical chemistry were recorded. Conclusions: Our results suggest that: 1) Vaccination with Letifend® can be used successfully to treat leishmaniasis. A surprisingly rapid improvement in the dog's general condition was observed 2) Also laboratory parameters that are recorded long-term become normalized.