AI Article Synopsis

  • Leptospirosis is a re-emerging infectious disease affecting humans and dogs, with the seroprevalence in pets in Italy being largely unknown.
  • A study conducted in a Milan shelter evaluated 106 dogs and 51 cats for leptospiral antibodies using the microscopic agglutination test, revealing 21.7% of dogs tested positive, while no cats showed antibodies.
  • Seropositivity was significantly higher in spring/summer (32.7%) compared to autumn/winter (11.1%), emphasizing the need for ongoing surveillance in shelters to address the zoonotic risks associated with this disease.

Article Abstract

Leptospirosis is a widespread zoonosis recognised as a re-emerging infectious disease in both humans and dogs, yet the actual seroprevalence of in pets in Italy is relatively unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate antibody prevalence in dogs and cats from a shelter by the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), the gold standard test in leptospiral serology, and to assess risk factors for infection. This seroepidemiological study investigated the prevalence of leptospiral antibodies in a cohort of 106 dogs and 51 cats housed in a municipal shelter in Milan. Blood samples were collected from the animals during two sampling periods: spring/summer 2014 and autumn/winter 2016/2017. Eight serogroups were evaluated: Australis, Ballum, Canicola, . Grippotyphosa, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pomona, . Sejroe, and Tarassovi. Antibody titres ranged from 1:100 to 1:6400. The results indicated that 21.7% of dogs had antibodies against serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae and Australis, making them the most often found. Conversely, none of the cats showed any presence of antibodies. Seropositivity was higher in the spring/summer period (32.7%) than in autumn/winter (11.1%), and no statistically significant results were found regarding sex or age. These findings underscore the importance of ongoing serological surveillance and biosecurity measures in shelter environments to mitigate the zoonotic risk posed by leptospirosis.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11512202PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11100478DOI Listing

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