Canine leptospirosis infections - clinical signs and outcome with different suspected Leptospira serogroups (42 cases).

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to investigate the presence of serum antibodies to different Leptospira serogroups in dogs with a clinical diagnosis of leptospirosis in southern Germany and to compare seroreactivity to different serogroups with history, clinical signs, laboratory findings and survival rate. METHODS: In this study, the data of 42 dogs with the diagnosis of leptospirosis were evaluated retrospectively. Dogs were presented to the Small Animal Medicine Teaching Hospital (Medizinische Kleintierklinik) of the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Germany, between 1990 to 2003. RESULTS: Reactivity to the serogroup grippotyphosa (13/42) was most frequently present, followed by reactivity to the serogroup saxkoebing (10/42). There was no difference in the clinical picture and the laboratory changes between dogs whose sera were reactive to different serogroups. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Most of the dogs with leptospirosis in southern Germany had sera reacting to serogroups other than icterohaemorrhagiae and canicola, which are contained in the vaccine. Thus, currently available vaccines in Europe do not protect against the most common Leptospira organisms associated with clinical disease.

Seroepidemiology of canine leptospirosis on the island of Barbados.

Previous surveillance in Barbados documented the absence of infection with Leptospira serogroup Canicola in dogs. The aim of this study was to survey the current state of canine leptospirosis in Barbados, 10 years after the last survey. Sera from 78 unwanted dogs scheduled for euthanasia and 61 dogs suspected of having acute leptospirosis were tested by microscopic agglutination (MAT) and by an ELISA method adapted for canine IgM and IgG antibodies. The seroprevalence in unwanted dogs was 62% (48/78), at an MAT titre of > or = 100. The majority of animals had low titres, suggestive of previous infection. Serogroup Autumnalis was the most common reactor (45%), followed by serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae and Australis (each 16%) and Pomona (13%). Serogroup Ballum was uncommon in this group. The seroprevalence determined by MAT in acutely-ill dogs was 75% (46/61). The most common predominant serogroup was Icterohaemorrhagiae (36%) followed by serogroup Australis (13%), while serogroups Autumnalis and Ballum were also of little significance. Paired specimens were available from eight acutely-ill dogs. One animal was seronegative while five dogs showed evidence of seroconversion. An IgM-ELISA titre of > or = 320 was used to confirm current infection in eight of these nine animals. Previous studies in Barbados showed a higher prevalence of serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae than of Autumnalis, but the relative frequency of these two serogroups may be changing. The high seroprevalence in dogs is of public health concern because the close contact between dogs and man may provide the link between a reservoir in the environment and susceptible humans.

[The identification of Leptospira strains of different origins]. / Identificación de cepas de leptospira de distintas procedencias.

Leptospirosis is at present an ever-increasing problem in human and animal health. By means of the Korthof medium, 43 Leptospira strains were isolated from samples of human blood, water and soil. For their identification the microagglutination technique was used. The strains corresponded to the species Leptospira biflexa and Leptospira interrogans.

Chemical and biological properties of endotoxin from Leptospira interrogans serovars canicola and icterohaemorrhagiae.

1. Endotoxin-like activity was extracted with phenol-chloroform-petroleum either (PCP) from Leptospira interrogans serovars icterohaemorrhagiae and canicola. Chemical analysis of leptospiral cells obtained from the PCP extract indicated the following distribution of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), protein and polysaccharide in mg/ml: 3.0, 4.5 and 1.0 for icterohaemorrhagiae and 3.3, 5.6 and 1.5 for canicola. 2. The preparations presented several biological activities: positive Limulus test (1.0 pg/ml) for icterohaemorrhagiae and canicola PCP extract and 0.5 pg/ml for E. coli O111:B4 LPS, lethality for chicken embryos (LD50 45, 25 and 1.0) for icterohaemorrhagiae, canicola and E. coli O111:B4 LPS, pyrogenicity in rabbits with an average increase in rectal temperature of 0.6 degrees C, 0.9 degrees C and 2.2 degrees C for canicola, icterohaemorrhagiae and E. coli O111:B4 LPS, reacted with complement inhibiting the lysis of sheep red blood cells, 62%, 75% and 90% for 2.0 micrograms/ml of icterohaemorrhagiae, canicola PCP extract and E. coli O111:B4 LPS. The PCP extract showed no cytotoxicity on chicken embryo fibroblasts and epithelial cells. 3. These results demonstrate that Leptospira endotoxin activity is similar to E. coli O111:B4 lipopolysaccharide.

Fatty acid profiles in the family Leptospiraceae.

Fatty acid profiles of six leptospira strains representative of genera, species, and serogroups within the family Leptospiraceae were determined by gas liquid chromatography (GLC) of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) derivatives. The influence of methodological and biological variables on FAME profiles of the same strain was tested. FAME profiles were sharply affected by the fatty acid composition of the culture medium but not by the growth phase. Twenty-four FAME peaks were selected on the basis of their presence in repeated gas chromatographic runs of single strains. Inter-strain divergences of FAME profiles were quantified by linear regression analysis (LR). Step-wise divergences in FAME profiles were observed between strains at serogroup, species, and genus levels.

Leptospirosis in Barbados. A clinical study.

A 39-month clinical study of leptospirosis was undertaken at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados. Eighty-eight patients had a confirmed diagnosis of the disease during the period. The major serogroups identified were autumnalis (including a new serovar bim), icterohaemorrhagiae, ballum and canicola. The majority of patients presented with jaundice (95%,) anorexia and headaches (85%), fever (76%) and conjunctival suffusion (54%). While abnormal creatinine levels were seen in 49% of patients on admission, only 16% were judged to have had renal failure. The urine to plasma urea ratio showed high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of pre-renal azotemia. Cardiac arrhythmias and myocarditis occurred in 18% of patients and pericarditis in 6%. An elevated serum amylase was found in 65% of cases. The bilirubin level took 5.5 weeks to return to normal. Thrombocytopenia was shown not to be due to a disseminated intravascular coagulation, and a randomised trial of high dose penicillin did not reveal any benefit to jaundiced patients. The overall mortality during the study was 5.7%.

Leptospirosis in Barbados: a clinical study

A 39-month clinical study of leptospirosis was undertaken at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados, Eighty-eight patients had a confirmed diagnosis of the disease during the period. The major serogroups identified were autumnalis (including a new serovar bim), icterohaemorrhagiae, ballum and canicola. The majority of patients presented with jaundice (95%,) anorexia and headaches (85%), fever (76%) and conjunctival suffusion (54%). While abnormal creatinine levels were seen in 49% of patients on admission, only 16% were judged to have had renal failure. The urine to plasma urea ratio showed high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of pre-renal azotemia. Cardiac arrhythmias and myocarditis occurred in 18% of patients and pericarditis in 6%. An elevated serum amylase was found in 65% of cases. The bilirubin level took 5.5 weeks to return to normal. Thrombocytopenia was shown not to be due to a disseminated intravascular coagulation, and a randomised trial of high dose penicillin did not reveal any benefit to jaundiced patients. The overall mortality during the study was 5.7%

[Antigenic structure of leptospires of the Canicola serogroup isolated in the north-western regions of the RSFSR]. / Kharakteristika antigennoi struktury leptospir serogruppy Canicola, vydelennykh na severo-zapade RSFSR.

The comparative study of 16 Leptospira cultures, serogroup Canicola, isolated from humans and animals in different years in the North-West of the RSFSR and 2 reference strains of the Canicola serovar, Hond Utrecht IV and Kashirsky, was carried out in the agglutinin cross-adsorption tests. The absence of the antigenic homogeneity of the cultures under test was established: 9 of them proved to be identical to strain Kashirsky and 7, to strain Hond Utrecht IV.

Leptospirosis experience at Groote Schuur Hospital, 1969-1979.

The diagnosis of leptospirosis requires a high index of suspicion and a knowledge of the wide variety of syndromes with which these patients present. The clinical and laboratory features of 14 patients with leptospirosis seen at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, between 1969 and 1979 are described.

[The etiology structure of the leptospiroses in Bulgaria (author's transl)]. / Atiologische Struktur der Leptospirosen in Bulgarien

In the course of many years the authors have studied the etiological structure of the leptospiroses in Bulgaria and have typed a significant number of leptospira strains isolated from humans and animals. The strains have been isolated by the authors themselves for the most part, while some others have been received from other laboratories in the country. The contributions of other authors in this field have been taken into consideration. In identifying these strains use has been made of the methods of the cross agglutination-lysis reaction and the cross absorption according to Schüffner and Bohlander, while in typing the strains from the Icterohaemorrhagiae and Australis serogroups there have been applied also factor sera according to the method of KMETY. The presence of the following serotypes has been established in Bulgaria: L. icterohaemorrhagiae, L. copenhageni, L. sofia, L. canicola, L. bulgarica, L. srebarna, L. lora, L. jalna, L. bratislava, L. pomona, L. mozdok, L. tsaratsovo, L. sejroe, L. balcanica, L. saxkoebing, L. mini, L. batabiae, L. tarassovi. Three of these serotypes, namely, L. sofia (874) L. bulgarica (Nikolaevo) and L. balcanica (1627 Burgas), have been isolated for the first time in Bulgaria, accepted as independent serotypes, and included as such in the International Classification Scheme of the Leptospirae. The serotypes srebarna and tsaratsovo have recently been established by MANEV as independent Bulgarian serotypes, but they have not yet been accepted internationally as such, since no control has been carried out by other reference laboratories.