Abstract
A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the frequency of canine leptospirosis in 92 dogs from two shelters in the city of Veracruz, Mexico. The microaglutination test (MAT) was used for detecting antibodies against 12 serovars of Leptospira interrogans in dog serum. Of the 92 dogs, eight were positive, resulting in an overall frequency of leptospirosis of 8.6% (CI95% 3.8 to 16.41). With reference to shelter, frequency was 8.3% (4/48; CI95% 2.3 to 19.9) in shelter 1 and 9.0% (4/44; CI95% 2.5 to 21.6) in shelter 2. The most frequent serovar of L. interrogans was Canicola. Frequency by sex of the dogs was 8.8% (4/45; CI95% 2.4 to 21.2) for females and 8.5% (4/47; CI95% 2.3 to 20.3) for males. In conclusion, leptospirosis is present in dogs housed in shelters in the city of Veracruz, Mexico. Key words: Leptospirosis, dog, epidemiology, serovar.
Highlights
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic infectious disease of worldwide distribution that is endemic in tropical and temperate climates, with higher prevalence in tropical countries (Levett, 2001; Adler and de la Peña, 2010; Desvars et al, 2011)
Leptospirosis is caused by several pathogenic serovars within the species Leptospira interrogans (Båverud et al, 2009; Adler and de la Peña, 2010)
Canine leptospirosis can be caused by other serovars such as Grippotyphosa, Pomona, Bratislava (Birnbaum et al, 1998; Ward et al, 2004; Greene, 2006; Ghneim et al, 2007), Australis, Autumnalis, Ballum, Bataviae and Hardjo (Ward, 2002), which have, among others, mice, pigs and cattle as reservoirs (Bolin, 1996; Birnbaum et al, 1998; Adin and Cowgill, 2000)
Summary
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic infectious disease of worldwide distribution that is endemic in tropical and temperate climates, with higher prevalence in tropical countries (Levett, 2001; Adler and de la Peña, 2010; Desvars et al, 2011). Rodents (mostly rats) are the main carriers of the disease (Oliveira et al, 2012), whereas the dog is considered a dead-end host (Prescott, 2008; Reis et al, 2008). Due to their close contact, dogs pose a risk of infection for humans (Greene, 2006; Adler and de la Peña, 2010). Serovars Canicola and Icterohaemorrhagiae are usually responsible for acute leptospirosis, serovars Australis, Pyrogenes, Autumnalis and Grippotyphosa have been found in this form of the disease (Adamus et al, 1997; André-Fontaine, 2006).
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