Q-Occurrence and risk factors associated with canine leptospirosis

Full text

J. Venom. Anim. Toxins incl. Trop. Dis.

V.18, n.1, p.124-127, 2012.

Short communication - ISSN 1678-9199.

Occurrence and risk factors associated with canine leptospirosis

Kikuti M (1), Langoni H (1), Nobrega DN (1), Corrêa APFL (1), Ullmann LS (1)

(1) Department of Veterinary Hygiene and Public Health, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry, São Paulo State University (UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista), Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil.

Abstract: Leptospirosis is a globally distributed emerging zoonosis. Dogs are commonly affected and although other serovars can cause canine leptospirosis, Leptospira interrogans serovar Canicola is primary found in these animals. A retrospective study was conducted using a database of 1195 dogs tested for Leptospira infection from 2003 to 2010 at the Laboratory of Zoonosis Diagnosis at the Veterinary Hospital of São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Botucatu, São Paulo state, Brazil. The seroprevalence of infected dogs was 20.08% (240/1195), and the most prevalent serovars were Canicola (6.7%), Copenhageni (5.0%), Icterohaemorrhagiae (2.9%), Autumnalis (2.9%), Pyrogenes (2.8%), Pomona (2.0%), Hardjo (2.0%), Australis (1.8%), Bratislava (1.6%), Cynopteri (1.4%), Grippotyphosa (1.3%) and Djasiman (1.0%). By univariate analysis, the variables age and breed were not statistically related to the infection, while gender and season were. The effects of gender were also noticeable related to serovars Australis, Canicola and Hardjo. In multivariate analysis, the level of significance (p-value) of season was suppressed by gender, indicating possible collinearity between those two variables.

Key words:Leptospira spp., dog, serology, epidemiology.

SUBMISSION STATUS

Received: July 28, 2011.

Accepted: October 21, 2011.

Abstract published online: October 26, 2011.

Full paper published online: February 28, 2012.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

CORRESPONDENCE TO

Helio Langoni, Departamento de Higiene Veterinária e Saúde Pública, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, UNESP, Distrito de Rubião Júnior, s/n, Botucatu, SP, 18618-970, Brasil. Phone: +55 14 3811 6270. Fax: 55 14 3811 6075. Email: hlangoni@fmvz.unesp.br.