Original scientific paper

The occurrence and maintenance of Leptospira serovars Australis and Bratislava in domestic and wild animals in Croatia.

Zoran Milas ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Zrinka Štritof Majetić ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Josipa Habuš ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Vesna Mojčec Perko ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Vilim Starešina ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Ljubo Barbić ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Vladimir Stevanović ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Matko Perharić ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Boris Ljubić ; Veterinary clinic „Šapa“ d.o.o., Zagreb, Croatia
Nenad Turk ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Over a 10-year period, from 2002 to 2011, 20,157 sera samples and 984 kidneys of wild and domestic animals were collected and tested for leptospirosis at the Laboratory for Leptospirosis of the Veterinary Faculty, University of Zagreb. Out of 19,732 sera samples of horses, 3876 (19.64%) had agglutinating antibodies against one or more Leptospira serovars. The highest seroprevalence in horses was found for the following serovars: sv Bratislava, sv Pomona and sv Australis. In wild boars, out of 215 samples 75 (34.88%) were positive and the most prevalent serovars were sv Australis, sv Grippotyphosa and sv Tarassovi. Out of 170 pig sera we found 66 (38.82%) positive animals. The most prevalent serovars were sv Australis, sv Ballum and sv Saxkoebing. In red foxes, out of 59 sera samples 34 (57.60%) were positive for leptospirosis. We found the highest titre for sv Australis, sv Sejroe, sv Saxkoebing and sv Grippotyphosa. Out of 151 sera samples of dogs, 26 (17.22%) had antibodies for Leptospira serovars. The highest seroprevalence was for sv Pomona, sv Grippotyphosa, sv Australis and sv Icterohaemorrhagiae. Out of 262 kidney samples taken from the yellow-necked field mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) Leptospirae were isolated from 32 (12.21%) samples including 13 (40.63%) isolates of L. interrogans, serogorup Australis, sv Bratislava; five (15.62%) isolates of L. borgpeterseni, serogoup Sejroe, sv Saxkoebing; four (12.5%) isolates of L. interrogans, serogroup Australis, sv Muenchen-FR. From 122 kidney samples of the long-tailed field mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) 22 (18.03%) were positive for Leptospira. The most frequently isolated Leptospira were: seven (31.82%) isolates of L. interrogans, serogroup Australis, sv Bratislava; six (27.27%) isolates of L. interrogans, serogroup Australis, undetermined serovar; three (13.64%) isolates of L. interrogans, serogroup Australis, sv Muenchen-FR. Out of 96 kidney samples of the black-striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) from 29 (30.21%) we isolated Leptospira. The most frequent serovars were: L. kirschneri, serogroup Pomona, sv Mozdok in eight (27.59%) samples, L. kirschneri, serogroup Bataviae, sv Bataviae in two (6.9%) samples while 19 (65.52%) isolates are still undetermined. Considering the results of our and previous investigations of leptospirosis in Croatia, we can conclude that Leptospira serovars from the serogroups Australis, sv Bratislava, sv Australis and sv Lora are maintained among wild life animal species. The results of this and our previous studies of leptospirosis in wild animal species in Croatia strongly support the conclusion that wild carnivores and omnivores, such as the red fox, wild boar and brown bear, could also be maintaining reservoir hosts for serovars from the serogroup Australis.

Keywords

Leptospira; Australis; Bratislava; reservoirs; Croatia

Hrčak ID:

105340

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/105340

Publication date:

8.7.2013.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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