Clinical and histopathologic features of canine tegumentary leishmaniasis and the molecular characterization of Leishmania braziliensis in dogs.

The high frequency of L. braziliensis infection in dogs with ulcers and the similarities between the isolates of L. braziliensis and cutaneous leishmaniasis in dogs and humans in an endemic area of TL, raise the possibility of an important role of dogs in the transmission chain of L. braziliensis.