Exploring the relationship between susceptibility to canine leishmaniosis and anti-Phlebotomus perniciosus saliva antibodies in Ibizan hounds and dogs of other breeds in Mallorca, Spain

Table 4 Comparison of SGH EU and proportion of positive results between dogs based on clinical parameters

Variable	n	SGH EU		SGH ELISA result
Variable	n	Median ELISA units (IQR)	Mann–Whitney P-value	Proportion positive (count)	Fisher’s exact test P-value
Breed
Ibizan hounds	47	28.94 (19.76)	0.0061**	0.2979 (14)	0.1999
Other breeds	45	23.07 (19.76)	0.0061**	0.200 (9)	0.1999
Age
Adult (≥ 18 months)	53	26.13 (24.81)	0.255	0.2830 (16)	0.1426
Juvenile (< 18months)	32	23.32 (17.06)	0.255	0.1563 (5)	0.1426
Sex
Female	60	25.48 (16.52)	0.5633	0.2333 (14)	0.3957
Male	32	26.54 (35.44)	0.5633	0.2813 (9)	0.3957
L. infantum ELISA
Seropositive	19	28.94 (35.05)	0.1953	0.4211 (8)	0.0470*
Seronegative	71	25.25 (16.56)	0.1953	0.1972 (14)	0.0470*
L. infantum blood qPCR
Positive	33	27.62 (35.41)	0.3503	0.3030 (10)	0.1310
Negative	42	24.18 (13.93)	0.3503	0.1667 (7)	0.1310
LST
Positive	45	24.40 (13.39)	0.1715	0.1778 (8)	0.2864
Negative	7	23.69 (13.24)	0.1715	0 (0)	0.2864
IFN-γ assay
Producer	51	25.25 (20.76)	0.1088	0.2590 (13)	0.3116
Non-producer	14	19.34 (16.36)	0.1088	0.1429 (2)	0.3116
Papule presence
Papular	31	26.13 (26.35)	0.2980	0.2581 (8)	0.5450
Non-papular	61	25.70 (21.56)	0.2980	0.2459 (15)	0.5450
L. infantum infection^a
Yes	75	27.29 (26.70)	0.0832	0.2800 (21)	0.0689
No	15	23.69 (14.93)	0.0832	0.0667 (1)	0.0689

^aPresence of L. infantum infection defined as positive result for at least one of the following tests: L. infantum ELISA, L. infantum blood qPCR, IFN-ɣ assay, or LST. Only dogs subjected to at least one of the tests are considered
Notes: Mann–Whitney tests were all conducted as two-tailed analyses, while Fisher’s exact tests were all single-tailed, examining the trend established when calculating the proportion of positive results
Abbreviations: ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; EU, ELISA units; IFN-γ, interferon gamma; IQR, interquartile range; LST, leishmanin skin test; qPCR, quantitative polymerase chain reaction; SGH, salivary gland homogenate; n, number of dogs
*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01

ISSN: 1756-3305