Some members of the Navy may have inadvertently brought tiny stowaways to Whidbey Island when they were transfered from Rota, Spain.

Veterinarian Donna DeBonis of Oak Harbor’s Animal Hospital on Midway said she’s found two dogs that arrived with sailors from Spain have tested positive for exposure to the parasitic disease leishmaniasis.

The most serious form of the disease, caused by tiny protozoa, can be fatal and infects both people and animals. One of the dogs that DeBonis is treating will eventually die from it.

“It’s something people should be aware of,” she said, stressing that she is not an expert in the disease. “I would never normally put leishmaniasis on the list of things I would test for.”

The good news is that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that leishmania infections are normally transmitted by a type of sand fly that does not live in the United States. There have only been a couple of extremely rare cases of domestic leishmaniasis, occurring in Texas, according to the CDC Web site.

DeBonis said she found out about the infection in local dogs when a Navy woman brought her pit bull in for a checkup. A veterinarian had diagnosed the dog in Spain with the parasitic disease, which is found in southern Europe, as well as tropical and subtropical regions. The Spanish vet treated the dog with a drug that’s not available in the U.S.

DeBonis said the drug likely masked the effects of the disease, which means the Navy veterinarian probably didn’t realize that the dog was infected when it was transported to Whidbey and went through the Customs process. Only a blood test would reveal the infection.

Since the European drug isn’t available, DeBonis said the pit bull will eventually succumb to leishmaniasis. One form of the disease attacks the internal organs, making them swell and possibly hemorrhage.

Later, another sailor from Spain brought a dog to her office. DeBonis tested the dog for leishmaniasis, which is far from a routine test, and found that it had been exposed to the disease. The dog didn’t have an active infection, which means its body fought off the disease.

Still, she’s only seen two dogs from Rota and they both have been exposed. That’s a 100 percent rate of infection.

DeBonis spoke to a parasitic disease expert from the CDC about her concerns. The expert said it’s extremely unlikely that the disease could be transmitted from a dog to a person, but he wouldn’t say it could never happen.

According to the CDC, the symptoms of visceral leishmaniasis are fever, weight loss, an enlarged spleen and liver, and swollen glands. Cutaneous leishmaniasis causes volcano-like sores on the skin and swollen glands.

For those traveling overseas with pets, DeBonis said the best way to avoid exposing dogs to the disease is to use an external parasite control, like Frontline.

You can reach Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com or 675-6611.