Existence of Similar <i>Leptospira</i> Serovars among Dog Keepers and Their Respective Dogs in Mwanza, Tanzania, the Need for a One Health Approach to Control Measures
Betrand Msemwa,
Mariam M. Mirambo,
Vitus Silago,
Juma M. Samson,
Khadija S. Majid,
Ginethon Mhamphi,
Joseph Genchwere,
Subira S. Mwakabumbe,
Elifuraha B. Mngumi,
Georgies Mgode,
Stephen E. Mshana
Affiliations
Betrand Msemwa
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Institute of Allied Health Sciences, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Bugando, Mwanza P.O. Box 1464, Tanzania
Mariam M. Mirambo
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Bugando, Mwanza P.O. Box 1464, Tanzania
Vitus Silago
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Bugando, Mwanza P.O. Box 1464, Tanzania
Juma M. Samson
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Bugando, Mwanza P.O. Box 1464, Tanzania
Khadija S. Majid
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Public Health, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3021, Tanzania
Ginethon Mhamphi
SUA Pest Management Centre (SPMC), Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3110, Tanzania
Joseph Genchwere
Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency (TVLA), Lake Zone, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Mwanza P.O. Box 129, Tanzania
Subira S. Mwakabumbe
Veterinary Investigation Centre (VIC), Lake Zone, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Mwanza P.O. Box 129, Tanzania
Elifuraha B. Mngumi
Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Pathology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3016, Tanzania
Georgies Mgode
SUA Pest Management Centre (SPMC), Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3110, Tanzania
Stephen E. Mshana
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Bugando, Mwanza P.O. Box 1464, Tanzania
This study investigated seroepidemiology of Leptospira serovars among the dog keepers and their dogs in the city of Mwanza, Tanzania. A total of 205 dog keepers and 414 dogs were tested for Leptospira antibodies using a microscopic agglutination test (MAT). The median age of the dog keepers was 26 (inter quartile range (IQR): 17–40) years and median duration of keeping dogs was 36 (IQR: 24–120) months. The seropositivity of Leptospira antibodies was (33/205 (16.1%, 95% CI: 11.0–21.1) among dog keepers and (66/414 (15.9%, 95% CI: 12.4–19.4) among dogs, p = 0.4745. Among the serovars tested (Sokoine, Grippotyphosa, Kenya, Pomona and Hebdomadis), the most prevalent serovar was Sokoine in both dog keepers and their dogs (93.9% (31/33) vs. and 65.1% (43/66), p = 0.009). Thirty-one out of thirty-three seropositive dog keepers (93.9%) had dogs positive for Leptospira antibodies with 28 (84.9%) having similar serovars with their respective seropositive dogs. Having tertiary education (AOR: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.07–0.84, p = 0.026) independently protected individuals from being Leptospira seropositive. More than three quarters of dog keepers had similar serovars as their dogs, necessitating one health approach to control measures in endemic areas.
