Veterinary Archives, Vol. 89 No. 5, 2019.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.24099/vet.arhiv.0407
Seroprevalence of leptospirosis in various categories of dogs in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Renata Lindtner Knific
; Institute for Poultry, Birds, Small Mammals and Reptiles, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Republic of Slovenia
Amel Ćutuk
; Department of Ambulatory Service, Veterinary Faculty, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Gordana Gregurić Gračner
; Department of Animal Hygiene, Behaviour and Welfare, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Republic of Croatia
Alenka Dovč
orcid.org/0000-0003-3264-1323
; Institute for Poultry, Birds, Small Mammals and Reptiles, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Republic of Slovenia
Abstract
The increasing number of stray dogs and the lack of sufficient data on the prevalence of leptospirosis among dogs were the main reasons for conducting this research in different populations of dogs on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. A total of 300 serum samples were tested from three different categories of dogs of various breeds from 12 cities. Twelve leptospiral serovars were used in the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). The presence of specific antibodies was confirmed for eight serovars. The proportion of seropositive dogs was 22.3% (67/300). The highest seropositivity (n = 38; 42.7%) was found for the serovar Pomona. The seropositivity rates found for the other serovars tested were as follow: Canicola (14.6%), Icterohaemorrhagiae (13.5%), Sejroe (12.4%), Autumnalis (12.4%), Grippotyphosa (2.2%), Bratislava (1.1%), and Australis (1.1%). The highest number of positive responses was obtained at the serum dilution of 1:100 (39.3%, n = 35). The highest number of positive reactions was identified in the category of ‘house dogs’ (29.3%, 29/99) followed by ‘stray dogs’ (21.6%, 24/111), while the lowest number of positive tests was recorded in the category of ‘guard/hunting dogs’ (15.6%, 14/90). Vaccination with tetravalent vaccines, including the serovars Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, Pomona and Grippotyphosa could be an effective measure for the prevention of canine leptospirosis.
Keywords
leptospirosis; diagnostics; microscopic agglutination test; serology; dogs; Bosnia and Herzegovina
Hrčak ID:
228625
URI
Publication date:
27.11.2019.
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