Serological investigation and spatial analysis of Leishmania spp. in household and stray cats in a Tourist City in Northeastern Brazil.

Cats are considered potential sentinels for zoonotic diseases due to their close contact with humans, wide urban distribution, and frequent exposure to pathogens. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of anti-Leishmania spp. IgG antibodies and investigate risk factors associated with infection in household and stray cats in the city of Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil. A total of 366 serum samples were analyzed, comprising 267 from household cats and 99 from stray cats. The Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA) was used as the serological test, adopting a cutoff titer of ≥40, with serum samples diluted from 1:40 to 1:640. Overall, 16.4% (60/366; 95% CI: 12.6-20.1) of the animals tested positive. Multivariate analysis indicated that stray status was a significant risk factor for seroreactivity to Leishmania spp. (OR = 3.08; p = 0.001; 95% CI: 1.72-5.50). Spatial analysis revealed that all seropositive cats were located in the urban area of Maceió, with a concentration in more densely populated neighborhoods, whereas the coastal region showed fewer cases. These findings highlight the potential epidemiological role of cats in endemic settings, reinforce the importance of active surveillance strategies, particularly in densely populated urban areas, and suggest that feline serological monitoring may serve as a useful indicator of environmental exposure to Leishmania spp., although their role as reservoirs remains to be fully elucidated.