We report an outbreak of canine visceral leishmaniasis in Uruguay. Blood specimens from 11/45 dogs tested positive for Leishmania spp. Specimens of Lutzomyia longipalpis sand flies were captured; typing revealed Leishmania infantum. Our findings document an expansion of visceral leishmaniasis to southern South America and risk for vectorborne transmission to humans.
Keywords: Leishmania infantum; Uruguay; canine visceral leishmaniasis; dogs; parasites; parasitic diseases; protozoa; sand flies; vector-borne infections; zoonoses.