Since 1977 autoctonous cases of human and canine visceral Leishmaniasis have occurred in Rio de Janeiro. These cases have been studied by a group from the Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, the Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, the Secretaria Municipal de Saúde do Rio de Janeiro and the Superintendência das Campanhas do Ministério da Saúde (SUCAM-RJ). The zooantroponosis has been subjected to ecological, epidemiological, parasitologica, immunological, clinical and therapeutic studies designed to investigate means of control for the disease. Here we present the general results of this work.
