The Prevalence of Leptospiral Antibodies in Free Roaming Cats in Worcester County, Massachusetts

Abstract

Serosurveys of cats for exposure to or infection with leptospires have been published from other geographic areas, but none for cats in the United States in the past 4 decades. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the prevalence of leptospiral antibodies in a population of free roaming cats in Worcester County, (central) Massachusetts. Sixty-three free roaming cats presenting to a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program. Prospective study. Serum was collected from 63 free roaming cats presented to a university associated TNR. Microagglutination titers to Leptospira interrogans serovars Autumnalis, Hardjo, Bratislava, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, Pomona, and L kirshneri Grippotyphosa were determined. A total of 3 of 63 cats (4.8%) had a titer of 1 : 100 or greater to one or more serovars, with Autumnalis being the most common. None of the cats were seropositive to Hardjo, Grippotyphosa, or Canicola. These results are consistent with previously published seroprevalence rates in feral cats. Additional studies are required to determine the role of leptosporosis in clinical disease in the domestic cat.