The Efficacy of Vaccination in the Prevention of Renal and Genital Leptospirosis in Experimentally Infected Sheep.

(1) Background: Leptospirosis, mainly determined by strains belonging to serogroup Sejroe, has a direct impact on the reproductive efficiency of ruminants, such as sheep. In Brazil, serovar Guaricura, known to be able to chronically colonize the uterine environment, is of special note. Although vaccination minimizes the effects of acute disease, whether or not it can protect from renal colonization remains controversial, and its effects on the genital tract are unknown.

Streptomycin treatment of genital carriers of Leptospira in experimentally infected sheep on different estrous phases.

Leptospirosis in ruminants presents as a chronic disease that causes several reproductive disorders leading to severe economic losses. The current recommended treatment can be efficient to eliminate the renal carrier state, however little is known about the effect of this drug in removing the genital carrier state and the hormonal influence on it. A total of 12 primiparous sheep experimentally infected with a strain of Leptospira santarosai serogroup Sejroe, FV52 strain, were used and distributed as group A (estrus; n = 5), group B (metaestrus; n = 4) and group C (control; n = 3).