University of Zaragoza researchers develop improved feline leishmaniasis test

Researchers from Urano Vet and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Zaragoza have developed a new serological platform to improve the diagnosis of feline leishmaniasis. The parasitic disease, caused by Leishmania infantum and transmitted by sandflies, is endemic in Spain.

Because cats produce lower and more variable antibody responses than dogs, conventional diagnostic tests often fail to detect infections. The new platform uses recombinant antigens and a rapid latex particle detection system. In a study of 1,110 blood and serum samples collected from clinics in the Iberian Peninsula and the Canary Islands, the latex test demonstrated a sensitivity of 88.9% and a specificity of 99.5%.

This represents a significant improvement over the conventional colloidal gold format, which identified only 29 of the 63 positive samples, resulting in a sensitivity of only 46%. The new rapid test is approximately 1.93 times more sensitive than the traditional method.