Risk Factors Associated With Seroreactivity Against Leptospira sp. in Horses From Brazilian Amazon (original) (raw)
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Frequency of leptospirosis in horses in Manaus and metropolitan region in Amazonas State, Brazil
Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Research and Animal Science, 2020
The occurrence of leptospirosis is significantly higher in the tropical climate than in temperate regions, especially in periods with high rainfall levels. In horses, leptospirosis can range from subclinical to asymptomatic but maintains an important role in the transmission of leptospirosis by eliminating the agent in the environment. Regarding horses, the Amazonas herd increased by 30% between 2004 and 2013. Thus, the study aimed to determine the serological prevalence of leptospirosis in horses in Manaus and metropolitan regions, in the State of Amazonas, Brazil as well as to assess the main serogroups involved in the infections of these animals. For this purpose, from August 2018 to July 2019, serum from 198 horses was evaluated through the microscopic agglutination test with a panel of 10 serogroups. As a result, 92 horses (44.46%) were found to be positive for one or more Leptospira serovars, with the highest prevalence of serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae and Pyrogenes. Therefor...
Anti-Leptospira spp antibodies in cart horses of the city of Guaíba, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil
Acta Veterinaria Brasilica, 2021
The objective of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of antibodies against Leptospira spp in horses used by communities of informal waste collectors who use horse-drawn cartsin Guaíba, Rio Grande do Sul. Additionally, interviews were conducted with owners to assess the characteristics of the horses, their environment, and work. Serological testing for Leptospira spp. was performed on blood samples collected from 54 horses using the microscopic agglutination test. Results showed that 50.0% of the horses were seropositive for Leptospira spp and the most frequent serogroup was LeptospiraCanicola (88. 8%), followed by Leptospira Pyrogenes (11.1%), Leptospira Bataviae (7.4%), Leptospira Hebdomadis (7.4%), Leptospira Icterohaemorrhagiae (3.7%), Leptospira Australis (3.7%), Leptospira Pomona (3.7%) and Leptospira Copenhageni (3.7%). There were no statistically significant associations between seropositivity for Leptospira spp and age, gender, body score, water source, type of food st...
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The burden of equine leptospirosis in Pelotas (RS) remains unclear due to underreporting. In this city, socially vulnerable families use these animals to collect food and recyclable material. In this context, this study aimed to know the seroprevalence of leptospirosis in urban working horse population in Pelotas, and to assess risk factors for equine leptospirosis in the study area. Serum samples from 119 horses were analysed by microscopic agglutination test (MAT). As results, 28.57% (n=34) animals were positive in the MAT with titres equal or above 400. Canicola was the most prevalent serovar in this study, followed by Hardjo, Bratislava, and Ballum. Exposure to risk factors was assessed and the occurrence of abortions (p = 0.04) and the occurrence of stillborn foals in the establishments (p = 0.04) were associated with the disease. Furthermore, abortion itself was associated with factors usually regarded as having leptospirosis risk, these were: Grazing on open pastures (p<0.01); the presence of rodents in or around the house (p<0.01); and forage being kept in sheds (p=0.03). Conversely, fodder stored in plastic barrels (with lids) seems to reduce the risk of abortion (p=0.01). Thus, urban working horses used to collect food and recyclable materials in different parts of the city may be potential spreaders of the disease to humans and other animal species. In addition, our study indicates that these animals may be viable sentinels in the research of circulating serovars in urban settings.
Semina: Ciências Agrárias
The aim of this survey was to determine epidemiological indicators for leptospirosis in equids from Paraíba state, Northeastern Brazil. A total of 138 equids were sampled from 58 rural properties, and for the diagnosis of leptospirosis it was used the Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) with 22 serovars as antigens. A seropositivity found was 40.6% (56/138). The reactive serogroups were Australis (43%), Sejroe (16.3%), Icterohaemorrhagiae (14.3%), Grippotyphosa (10.2%), Canicola (6.1%), Tarassovi (4.1%), Pomona (2%), Ballum (2%) and Hebdomadis (2%). Animals over 36 months of age presented higher chance of get seropositive (odds ratio = 3.04; 95% CI = 1.23 – 7.56; P = 0.016). The results obtained in the present work point to the high occurrence of seropositive equids for Leptospira sp. in the semiarid of Paraíba, Northeastern Brazil. As it is the first report of seropositive equidae in Paraíba, other surveys should be conducted in the region aiming to isolate and identify the agent ...
Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, 2007
A total of 320 horses were studied in this paper, both male and female, between two and 17 years of age, which were used for traction of wagons in the urban area of the municipality of Londrina (PR). These animals were kept, after their daily work, in abandoned areas or plots, in the outskirts of the urban area of the city. When these animals were attended by the veterinarians, between 1996 and 2005, none of them presented symptoms suggesting leptospirosis. The most frequent reasons for the visit were loss of weight, unwillingness for work, parasitism, laminess, and wounds. Microscopic Seroagglutination Test (SAM), with 22 Leptospira serovars, was performed in sera sample from all these animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of antibodies against Leptospira spp. in horses from the urban area of Londrina (PR). From the samples tested, 214 (66.88%) were considered positive, with titers between 100 and 3200, being that 49 (22.90%) presented antibodies against a single serovar of Leptospira, and 165 (77.10%) samples presented antibodies against two or more serovars simultaneously, where in 88 (53.33%) it was possible to characterize the most likely probable serovar. Antibodies against the serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae were detected in 32 (23.36%) animals.
Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Research and Animal Science
The seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. and infection risk factors were investigated in horses from a military contingent in the Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. A total of 446 horses were evaluated and categorized into 309 mares, 11 stallions, and 126 horses with an average age of three years. To determine seroprevalence, serum samples from all horses were submitted to the microscopic agglutination test against 12 serovars belonging to nine serogroups, usually circulating in equine populations. To investigate the possible risk factors of infection by Leptospira spp., questionnaires were applied in that military unit. The seroprevalence in the horses with an average age of 3 years, mares, and stallions were 57.94% (73/126), 54.05% (165/309), and 45.45% (5/11), respectively. The main risk factors identified were contact with different water sources, the presence of rodents, and contact with wild and domestic animals. The high seroprevalence of anti‑Leptospira spp. antibodies may be ass...
Ciência Rural, 2002
Em estudo retrospectivo abrangendo os anos de 1984 a 1997, foram realizados 15.558 exames sorológicos para leptospirose (SAM, com coleção de 24 sorovares), que incluíram: 284 ovinos, 879 bubalinos, 983 cães, 1.941 caprinos, 2.903 eqüinos e 8.568 suínos, ...
Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 2013
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that occurs in humans and several animal species, including cattle, pigs, and horses, and it has a worldwide distribution. In equids, leptospirosis manifests through recurrent uveitis and abortion and other reproductive disorders. The objective of the present study was to investigate the epidemiological situation of Leptospira spp. infection in equids from the Brejo Paraibano microregion in the northeast of Brazil, that is, to assess the prevalence of and identify the major risk factors for infection. For this purpose, blood samples were taken from 257 equids (204 horses, 46 mules, and 7 donkeys), and a microscopic agglutination test (MAT) was used as serological analysis, with 24 serovars of Leptospira spp. as antigens. Antibodies were observed in 16.2% of horses, 13.0% of mules, and 28.6% of donkeys. Animals between the ages of 2.5 and 11 years had a risk of infection 0.4 times lower than those younger than 2.5 years old (odds ratio, 0.4; 95% confidence interval, 0.18-0.90). Further studies are needed to identify potential wild reservoirs and the main routes of infections.
Epidemiological status of bovine leptospirosis in the State of Paraná, Brazil
Semina: Ciências Agrárias, 2015
The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of antibodies against Leptospira spp and their geographic distribution and to identify the risk factors associated with this disease in cattle herds with reproductive activity in the state of Paraná. A total of 14 163 females aged ≥24 months originating from 1 926 herds that were not vaccinated against Leptospira spp were evaluated. To detect the Leptospira spp antibodies, all serum samples were submitted for a microscopic serum-agglutination test (MAT). An epidemiological questionnaire was performed at each farm visited to characterize the management practices and study the risk factors associated with the presence or absence of Leptospira spp. To perform geoprocessing, the geographical coordinates of each farm were recorded with a Global Positioning System (GPS), which were then used to create a map. The apparent prevalence of bovine leptospirosis in the herds was the parameter used to generate the final risk map. The apparent prevalences of seropositivity in the herds and animals in Paraná state were 54.28%(95%CI:52.05-56.51) and 37.70%(95%CI:34.54-40.86), respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the risk factors associated with leptospirosis due to any serovar were the rental of grazing areas [OR=1.91(1.36-2.68)], presence of horses [OR=1.59(1.28-1.97)], presence of > 20 females ≥ 24 months of age [OR=2.25(1.46-3.49)], presence of > 49 bovines [OR=2.78(1.82-4.26)], purchase of animals for reproduction [OR=1.96(1.59-2.41)] and presence of calving pens [OR=1.32(1.04-1.68)]. Risk factors for leptospirosis due specifically to serovar Hardjo were the presence of > 49 bovines [OR=3.05(1.94-4.80)], presence of > 20 females ≥ 24 months [OR=2.38(1.50-3.79)], presence of horses [OR=1.87(1.45-2.43)], purchase of animals for reproduction [OR=2.14(1.68-2.72)] and rental of grazing areas [OR=2.22(1.54-3.21)]. Geographically, seropositivity to Leptospira spp by MAT identified the regions North/Northwest and Southwest in the state as the areas with a higher risk of disease occurrence.
Spatial distribution of equine seroreagent to Leptospira spp. in Northeastern Brazil
Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Research and Animal Science, 2020
Considering the importance of leptospirosis in both equine husbandry and public health, as well as the relevance of knowledge of current serogroup and the small number of studies addressing this disease in equines in Northeastern Brazil, the present study performed a serological survey of Leptospira spp. in a serum bank of 1,267 equines originating from 177 municipalities, located in four states in Northeastern Brazil: Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba and Pernambuco. The microscopic agglutination test (MAT) was used for diagnosis of leptospirosis using 24 serovars as antigens. The frequency of reagent equines was 29.7% (376/1,267), and 68.9% (122/177) of municipalities had at least one positive reaction. The serogroups reagent were Australis (37.2%), Icterohaemorrhagiae (29.3%), Tarassovi (9.6%), Sejroe (5.8%), Pomona (5.3%), Grippotyphosa (4.5%), Pyrogenes (2.4%), Bataviae (1.9%), Ballum and Hebdomadis (1.3%), Mini (0.5%), Celledoni, Shermani, and Javanica (0.3% each). There were significant statistical differences regarding sex and age, with a higher frequency in females (P= 0.014), and in animals ≥ 6 years (P=0.001). We concluded that seropositivity to Leptospira spp. is high in equines in Northeastern Brazil, with a predominance of serologic reactions to the Australis serogroup in the border areas between the states, and the Icterohaemorrhagiae serogroup in coastal areas or their vicinity. The high degree of seropositivity found points to the need to implement prophylactic strategies, both intraspecies infection prophylaxis and rodent control. We also recommended avoiding animal crowding and separating animals according to sex and age group during handling.