A serological survey and isolation of leptospires from small rodents and wild boars in the Republic of Croatia

Abstract

In total the samples of blood and kidneys of 379 small rodents and 154 wild swine were analysed. The antibodies to different serovars of leptospires were determined in 12.7% of small rodents, most often in the species Mus musculus (34.4%), A. agrestis (14.8%), A. flavicolis (10.8%), C. glareolus (9.4%) and A. sylvaticus (6.5%). Most frequent were the findings of antibodies to sv. pomona (27.1%), sv. sejroe (20.8%), and sv. australis (14.6%), and the antibodies to sv. hardjo, sv. saxkoebing, sv. tarassovi, sv. grippotyphosa, sv. bataviae and sv. icterohaemorrhagiae were also established. Seventeen (4.5%) isolates were identified, belonging to the serogroups sejroe (10 isolates), pomona (4 isolates) and australis (1 isolate) and one isolate was not identified. In wild swine positive reactions were estab­lished in 26% of the blood sera analysed. Most frequently the antibodies to sv. pomona (47.5%), sv. australis (40%), sv. grippotyphosa (10%) and sv. icterohaemorhagiae (2.5%) were established. Thirteen (8.4%) isolates belonging to the serogroups pomona (10 isolates), australis (2 isolates) and icterohaemorhagiae (1 isolate) were identified.

Keywords

• leptospirosis
• small rodents
• wild boars
• prevalence
• croatia