Prognosi e monitoraggio della leishmaniosi canina

The purpose of this paper is to present a consensus of opinions of "Canine Leishmaniasis Working Group" (CLWG) on the prognosis and monitoring of canine leishmaniasis.The recommendations have been produced based on data collected from the most recent publications integrated with personal experience of CLWG members. Prognosis of canine leishmaniasis is nowadays more favorable compared to the past, and it should not be considered always poor, particularly in the absence of renal disease and if the disease is correctly treated and monitored. Nevertheless, to achieve a correct prognosis for a Leishmania infected or sick dog is complex due to both the limited number of publications available and the lack of controlled studies aimed to evaluate specifically the prognostic factors. Regarding the infection, long term monitoring is essential to rapidly detect the disease onset that can happen even years after the first diagnosis of the infection. The prognosis for sick dogs largely depends on the degree of clinical-pathologic alterations, particularly on that of renal injuries and on the individual response to specific treatments. Moreover, monitoring Leishmania sick dogs is crucial to assess both the achievement of clinical remission and the response appropriateness to specific treatment.