Occurrence of antibodies against Leptospira spp in dogs from Teresina, Piauí, Brazil

• Published in: Brazilian journal of veterinary research and animal science Vol. 54; no. 1
• Main Authors: Elís Rosélia Dutra de Freitas Siqueira Silva, Vanessa Castro, Maria das Graças Prianti, Larissa Maria Feitosa Gonçalves, Enoque Pereira Costa Sobrinho Júnior, Karina Oliveira Drumond, Ana Lys Bezerra Barradas Mineiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo 01-05-2017
• Subjects: dogs; epidemiology; Leptospiras
• ISSN: 1413-9596; 1678-4456
• DOI: 10.11606/issn.1678-4456.bjvras.2017.110588

Leptospirosis is a systemic disease caused by the species of bacteria Leptospira spp., which affects human beings, domestic and wild animals. The present study searched the presence of antibodies against Leptospira spp. in the canine population of the city Teresina, Piauí, and the most common serovars. Blood samples from 425 stray dogs were collected in the local zoonosis center in Teresina from July 2010 to January 2012 and submitted to the Microscopic Seroagglutination Test (MAT). This study found an average infection rate of 17.41% (IC 95%; 13,8 – 21,0) by 11 different serovars; the four most frequent were Canicola (18.9%), Autumnalis (16.2%), Icterohaemorrhagiae (12.1%), and Butembo (12.1%). The questions raised in this study indicated the occurrence of Leptospira spp infection in dogs of Terezina- Piaui, Brazil.