Canine leptospirosis – a seroprevalence study from Kerala, India

Aim: To study the seroprevalence of leptospirosis in dogs in Kerala and to identify the most prevalent serovar. Materials and Methods: A total of 205 sera collected from dogs were screened for the presence of antibodies against leptospirosis by Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT). Results: A seroprevalence rate of 71.12 per cent was observed. Leptospira interrogans serovar Autumnalis was found to be the most prevalent serovar followed by Australis, Pomona, Canicola, Pyrogenes, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Javanica and Patoc. Conclusions: The results revealed the high prevalence of anti leptospiral antibodies in dogs in Kerala. The emergence of serovars other than the vaccinal serovars necessitates the incorporation of these in the vaccines because the immunity against leptospirosis is serovar specific. Key words: canine leptospirosis, MAT, seroprevalence [Vet World 2013; 6(1.000): 42-44]