Abstract
Canine leptospirosis is a zoonosis caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Leptospira. Dogs are one of the animal species involved in the cycle of preservation and transmission of leptospirosis in urban areas. Serological testing for the presence of specific antibodies against Leptospira spp. in dogs was continuously performed between 2010 and 2020 in the city of Belgrade. At the request of the owners themselves, other veterinary laboratories or laboratory clinics, 179 blood sera from 179 dogs were examined in the Laboratory for Immunology, Scientific Institute of Veterinary Medicine of Serbia. Blood sera samples from dogs were examined using the standard microscopic agglutination test (MAT) for the presence of specific antibodies against seven different serovars of Leptospira: Pomona, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Grippotyphosa, Sejroe, Canicola, Bataviae, and Australis. The number of seropositive dogs was 17/179 (9.5%). Among all examined sera, the highest titre of seropositive samples was to serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae (10/17, 58.8%), followed by Pomona (4/17, 23.5%), and serovar Canicola (3/17, 17.6%). Specific antibodies for serovars Grippotyphosa, Sejroe, Bataviae and Australis were not detected in any of the dog sera. Cross-reaction (the presence of two or three titres with different values where one of them was higher than others) between different serovars was diagnosed in a low number of sera (n=4), with the following serovars: Icterohaemorrhagiae and Pomona (n=3) and Pomona and Canicola (n=1). The confirmed specific antibody titres for Leptospira spp. were between 1:100 to 1:3000 (5 sera had titres of 1:100, 7 had titres of 1:300, 4 had titres of 1:1000, and 1 serum had a titre 1:3000). Monitoring canine leptospirosis is a useful tool in preventing leptospirosis in Belgrade.
Highlights
On a global scale, leptospirosis is one of the most widespread zoonotic diseases (Adler and de la Peña Moctezuma, 2010; Langston and Heuter, 2003)
Specific antibodies for serovars Grippotyphosa, Sejroe, Bataviae and Australis were not detected in any of the dog sera
We examined 179 dog serum samples, of which 17/179 (9.5%) were seropositive for antibodies against Leptospira spp
Summary
Leptospirosis is one of the most widespread zoonotic diseases (Adler and de la Peña Moctezuma, 2010; Langston and Heuter, 2003). The causative agent of leptospirosis is a pathogenic, Gram negative, spirochete bacterium from the Leptospiraceae family, genus Leptospira. Pathogenic Leptospira are divided into 25 serogroups, with more than 300 serovars (Picardeau, 2013). Leptospira survives in moist soil and standing waters, and the cycle of transmission involves susceptible species, natural reservoirs, and the environment. Risk factors for the occurrence of leptospirosis are deficient hygiene, water spills due to increased rainfalls, floods, high temperatures, increase in animal population density including reservoir species, inadequate waste disposal, poor drainage, and sewers (Ebi and Schmier, 2005; Levett, 2001). The presence of Leptospira reservoirs, i.e. the field mouse (Apodemus agrarius)
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