microbiological and serological study of leptospirosis among pigs in the Morogoro municipality, Tanzania

microbiological and serological study of leptospirosis among pigs in the Morogoro municipality, Tanzania

Serological and microbiological studies on leptospirosis in pigs from Morogoro municipality, Tanzania were carried out between October 2007 and May 2008. Serum samples (n = 385) from apparently healthy pigs were tested by microscopic agglutination test for antibodies against live cultures of six kno...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Tropical animal health and production Vol. 42; no. 3; pp. 523 - 530
Main Authors: Kessy, Mecku J, Machang'u, Robert S, Swai, Emmanuel Senyael
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Dordrecht Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands 01-03-2010
Springer Netherlands
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Animals
Antibodies, Bacterial - blood
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Cross-Sectional Studies
Economic importance
Health risks
Leptospirosis - blood
Leptospirosis - epidemiology
Leptospirosis - microbiology
Leptospirosis - veterinary
Life Sciences
Microbiological studies
Public health
Swine
Swine Diseases - blood
Swine Diseases - epidemiology
Swine Diseases - microbiology
Tanzania - epidemiology
Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science
Zoology
Tanzania
Leptospirosis
Pigs
Microbiological culture
Tanzania
Zoonosis
Risk factors
Seroprevalence
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Summary:Serological and microbiological studies on leptospirosis in pigs from Morogoro municipality, Tanzania were carried out between October 2007 and May 2008. Serum samples (n = 385) from apparently healthy pigs were tested by microscopic agglutination test for antibodies against live cultures of six known Leptospira interrogans serovars: Pomona, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Ballum, Tarassovi, Grippotyphosa and Hardjo. Significant positive titres were detected in 4.42% (17/385) of all the tested serum samples. Asceptically collected samples, urine (n = 236) and kidney tissues (n = 214), were cultured in enriched Fletcher's and Ellinghausen McCullough-Johnson and Harris media and assessed, at weekly intervals for 24 weeks, for growth by dark-field microscopy. Two leptospiral organisms were isolated from the urine samples. There was a statistical association between seroposivity and location that the subjects reside in (P < 0.05), whereas it was not significantly associated with sex nor age (P > 0.05). The evidence of pig exposure to different serovars and the isolation of the leptospiral organisms confirm that the infection is present in pigs although with an overall low prevalence. Apart from its economic importance on to the pig industry, this disease is a potential zoonotic public health risk in Tanzania, especially because of the lack of studies on leptospirosis among persons who handle pigs and pork products.
Bibliography:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11250-009-9455-z
ISSN:0049-4747
1573-7438
DOI:10.1007/s11250-009-9455-z