Serum Epidemiological Analysis and Risk Factors Associated with Leptospira spp. in Cattle in the State of Piauí

ABSTRACT

Background: Leptospirosis is a cosmopolitan zoonosis caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Leptospira spp. and it is considered one of the main causes of reproductive problems in cattle. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of anti-Leptospira antibodies and identify the prevalent serovars and risk factors associated with infection in cattle herds, in the microregion of Floriano, Piaui State, Brazil.Materials, Methods & Results: A total of 414 bovine sera samples were collected (390 females aged over 24 months and 24 bulls) from 22 properties (farms) in the municipalities that compose the study area. The samples were analyzed using the Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) to detect anti-Leptospira antibodies from 23 pathogenic serovars. An epidemiological questionnaire was applied in each farm to evaluate the risk factors, using a univariate analysis of the variables of interest, by Pearsons Chi-square test (2) or Fishers exact test, when it was necessary. Then, each independent variable was crossed with the dependent variable and those that presented statistical significance 0.20 were selected for multivariate analysis, using logistic regression, adopting a significance level of 5%. This research identified 143 positive animals (MAT> 1 100) in the 22 evaluated farms; all of them had at least one positive animal, resulting in a