Seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. in Horses of Distinct Climatic Regions of Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

Leptospirosis is zoonotic disease which is globally distributed among many domestic and wild animals. In equines, it causes uveitis, jaundice, and reproductive disorders. A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted for the first time in Pakistan to unveil the seroprevalence and to identify associated risk factors of leptospirosis in distinct climatic regions. A total of 384 horse sera (n = 128 from each of three study areas) and data on biologically plausible risk factors along with spatial locations were collected from horses reared in Bahawalpur, Lahore, and Rawalpindi districts of Punjab, Pakistan. Sera were subjected to double-antigen sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to analyze the existence or not of Horse LS-IgG in horses. Chi-square, univariate analysis, and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Overall, seroprevalence in Punjab was found to be 33.85% (confidence interval [CI]: 29.13–38.83). Significant statistical difference (P < .05) was observed among prevalence in study areas with highest prevalence in Rawalpindi (40.62%; CI: 32.04–49.66), followed by Lahore (38.28%; CI: 29.83–47.28), and lowest in Bahawalpur (22.65%; CI: 15.73–30.89). Age, gender, living area, herd size, water source, rodents, flooding, feeding management and practices, and usage of animals were the significant risk factors associated with the occurrence. This study is first serological evidence of equine Leptospira and its associated risk factors in climatically distinct regions of Punjab, Pakistan.