Prevalence of antibodies to <it>leptospira interrogans </it>serovar <it>hardjo </it>in bulk tank milk from unvaccinated irish dairy herds

Abstract

Bulk tank milk samples, collected from 347 herds throughout the Republic of Ireland using a sampling frame based on seven milk-recording organisations, were tested by ELISA for antibodies to Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo. These herds, which had not been vaccinated against leptospirosis within the previous five years, were categorised according to their province, milk-recording organisation and size. Two-hundred-and-seventy-three herds (79%) had a positive ELISA titre. Both the probability of a herd being seropositive and the antibody level in the herd milk sample were affected by the province (P Leptospira hardjo.

Keywords

• Cattle
• <it>Leptospira</it>
• Antibodies
• Milk ELISA