Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo (Dec 2014)

SEROLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR SURVEY OF Leptospira spp. AMONG CART HORSES FROM AN ENDEMIC AREA OF HUMAN LEPTOSPIROSIS IN CURITIBA, SOUTHERN BRAZIL

  • Mariane Angélica Finger,
  • Ivan Roque de Barros Filho,
  • Christian Leutenegger,
  • Marko Estrada,
  • Leila Sabrina Ullmann,
  • Hélio Langoni,
  • Mariana Kikuti,
  • Peterson Triches Dornbush,
  • Ivan Deconto,
  • Alexander Welker Biondo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0036-46652014000600003
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 56, no. 6
pp. 473 – 476

Abstract

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Introduction: Cart horses are a re-emerging population employed to carry recyclable material in cities. Methods: Sixty-two horses were sampled in an endemic area of human leptospirosis. The microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were performed. Results: A seropositivity of 75.8% with serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae in 80.8% of the horses was observed. Blood and urine were qPCR negative. MAT showed positive correlations with rainfall (p = 0.02) and flooding (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Although horses may be constantly exposed to Leptospira spp. in the environment mostly because of rainfall and flooding, no leptospiremia or leptospiruria were observed in this study.

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