Isolation and molecular confirmation of leptospires from dogs in Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

Leptospirosis is a common but largely underreported zoonotic disease in India. It has been recognized as a re-emerging infectious disease causing deaths in dogs as well as humans. Leptospires have been isolated from both clinically ill and apparently healthy animals from different geographical regions but there is no information on the presence of leptospires in various clinical conditions of animals in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, India. Here, using dark field microscopy, culture isolation and molecular biology-based tests, we confirm leptospirosis in three clinically affected dogs with chronic renal involvement. The study reports the first isolation and molecular confirmation of leptospires from clinically affected dogs in Himachal Pradesh, India.