Laboratory and clinical features of experimental feline leptospirosis.

In order to assess the clinical, laboratorial and epidemiological aspects of feline leptospirosis, ten female and male adult cats were experimentally inoculated with pathogenic and autochthonous field isolate of Leptospira interrogans. Five of them were inoculated subcutaneously with serovar icterohaemorrhagiae (R-192) and the others five with serovar canicola. No clinical and laboratorial alterations were found in these animals. Antileptospiral agglutinins were detected in 90% of the infected cats, shortly after the 1st week after inoculation. The leptospiral agglutinins were detected for 8 to 12 weeks and the elimination of leptospires through urine was observed only in animals infected with serovar canicola, beginning 2 to 4 weeks after inoculation and lasting for 2 to 8 weeks. Isolations of leptospires from blood and kidneys were unsuccessful.

Prevalence of feline leptospirosis: serologic survey and attempts of isolation and demonstration of the agent.

The occurrence of leptospiral infection in cats was determined through the detection of specific antibodies based on the results of microscopic agglutination test and the attempts of isolation and histological demonstration of leptospires from the kidneys of these animals. Of 172 serum samples examined by microscopic agglutination test, 22 (12.8%) were positive with titers greater than or equal to 100. The most frequent serovar was pomona. In relation to the sex, significant differences were not seen; however the age distribution showed that feline leptospirosis is more frequent in adult cats. The attempts for isolation and demonstration of L. interrogans from renal parenchyma by culture or Warthin Starry technics were unsuccessful.

Prevalencia de aglutininas antileptospiras em equinos mantidos para producao de soros terapeuticos. / Prevalence of leptospiral agglutinins in horses used for production of therapeutic sera

Atraves da reacao de soroaglutinacao microscopica para leptospirose, foram examinados 504 soros de equinos.Como antigenos, utilizaram-se 18 culturas vivas de varias sorotipos e considerou-se o titulo inicial de 1:100 como reacao positiva. Tentativas de isolamento a partir de urina de 6 animais, resultaram negativas, 51 soros (10, 11%) foram positivos, tendo-se encontrado aglutininas contra os sorotipos andamana (23,53%), pomona (15,67%), panama e australis (13,72%), como os mais frequentes.Foram evidenciados ainda, anticorpos para os sorotipos wolffii, canicola, butembo, shermani, icterohaemorrhagiae, grippotyphosa e brasiliensis. Em seis soros ocorreram anticorpos para dois ou mais sorotipos e nenhuma correlacao entre cegueira e leptospirose foi constatada

Correlacao entre soroaglutinacao e isolamento de leptospiras em caes. / The correlation between agglutination test and the isolation of leptospiras in dogs

Correlacao entre soroaglutinacao microscopica e presenca de leptospiras nos rins de caes de rua, atraves de cultura. Observouse que 16% de caes com sorologia positiva para canicola eliminavam este sorotipo de seus rins; 2,8% dos positivos para icterohaemorrhagiae eliminavam o sorotipo copenhagenie e, de 5,5% dos reagentes para pomona, foi possivel isolar este sorotipo.Dos 35 isolamentos de leptospiras, cinco cepas (14,3%) foram isolados de caes com sorologia negativa

Pesquisas de aglutininas anti-leptospira em suinos aparentemente sadios abatidos em matadouro. / Research on anti-leptospira aglutinins in swines apparently healthy from abattoirs

Os autores examinaram 500 amostras de soros de suinos aparentemente normais, abatidos em um matadouro proximo a cidade de Sao Paulo.A tecnica usada foi a soro-aglutinacao microscopica com leitura em campo escuro, tendo-se empregado como antigenos 12 sorotipos de leptospiras vivas. Encontraram-se 16,2% de soros positivos, com predominancia para os sorotipos pomona, wolffi e grippotyphosa. Os titulos variaram de 1/200 a 1/3.200, sendo que nesta ultimma diluicao houve apenas um soro positivo para o sorotipo pomona. A taxa de positividade e a possibilidade de os animais positivos estarem na condicao de reservatorio de leptospiras sao tambem abordadas

The isolation of leptospires from stray dogs in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.

The search of leptospires was conducted in kidneys of 1,415 stray dogs in the city of São Paulo--Brazil. From them 35 isolations were got, serovar canicola was the most frequent (32 samples) followed by copenhageni (2 samples) and pomona (1 sample). For the first time serovar pomona was isolated from dog in Latin America. Also, monthly and seasonal variations are discussed in relation to the prevalence of leptospirosis.

Comparative study between microscopic agglutination and complement fixation tests in experimental canine leptospirosis.

In order to evaluate the antibody response to pathologic leptospira from both serovars icterohaemorrhagiae and canicola, dogs were experimentally inoculated with these leptospiras. Each of the serovar were inoculated in 15 dogs and the antibody response in the acute phase of infected was followed by microscopic agglutination and complement fixation tests. Complement fixing antibodies were detected in both groups at the 4th day post infection and agglutinins appeared in circulation at the 7th day post infection when homologous antigens were used. On the 63rd day post infection with serovar canicola and on 56th day post infection with serovar icterohaemorrhagiae, complement fixing antibodies could no longer be detected but, in both experimental groups, specific agglutinins were presented in significant titers.

Two new leptospiral serovars in the Hebdomadis group isolated from cattle in Brazil.

Two leptospiral serovars belonging to the Hebdomadis Serogroup are described. These strains are represented by two isolations from apparently healthy zebu cattle. It is proposed that the serovars be designated guaicurus strain Bov. G and goiano strain Bov. 131.

Leptospirosis in wildlife in Brazil: isolation of serovars canicola, pyrogenes and grippotyphosa.

The isolation of serovar canicola from the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus), shows that it is a reservoir of canicola and is therefore significant from an epidemiological point of view. The isolation of pyrogenes and grippotyphosa from a water rat, Nectomys squamipes is also described.

Serological study of listeriosis in domestic animals in São Paulo-Brazil.

A serological examination was carried out for L. monocytogenes antibodies on 9,318 domestic animal--7,809 bovine, 838 horses and 671 swine--in São Paulo, Brazil. Serum agglutination in tubes was the method used. Only somatic antigens from serotypes 1, 2, 3, 4a and 4b were employed. It was considered reagent all sera reacting in a titer 1/20 while as positive only sera with 1/320 or above. According this criteria the results showed showed that in cattle 17.8% were reagent but only 8 sera were positive for types 1, 2 and 4b. Only type 1 was found in horses in a rate of 22.7% reagent, and 11 positive samples. For swine the percentage of reagent was 13.3% but none serum was positive, since the highest titer was 1/160.

Leptospirosis in wildlife in Brazil: isolation of a new serotype in the pyrogenes group.

A new leptospiral serotype in the serogroup Pyrogenes is described. The strain was isolated from one gray "four-eyed" opossum (Philander opossum). It is proposed that the serotype be designated guaratuba, strain An-7705. The isolations of serotypes ballum from the South American field mouse (Akodon arviculoides), szwajizak and icterohaemorrhagiae from the North American opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), and grippotyphosa from many other wild animal species as well as domesticated animals are also described.