Seroprevalence of leptospirosis in cattle in Mannancherry panchayat of Alappuzha district*

Abstract

Cattle can act as asymptomatic carrier in leptospirosis and can transmit the infection to other animals and humans either by direct contact or indirectly by contaminating the environment with infected urine. Thus, the role of apparently healthy cattle in the maintenance and transmission of the organism needs to be studied. The present study was conducted in 90 apparently healthy cattle in Mannancherry panchayat of Alappuzha district. Serum samples were collected from cattle and subjected to Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) using a battery of serovars. A serum dilution of 1:50 and above was taken as positive. Out of the 90 samples analysed, 47 (52.2 per cent) were found positive. The predominant serovars observed in the study were Grippotyphosa (34.04 per cent), Sejroe (25.53 per cent) and Autumnalis (21.3 per cent). The study revealed the importance of asymptomatic cattle in the maintenance and transmission of the disease.

Keywords

• asymptomatic cattle
• alappuzha
• microscopic agglutination test
• predominant serovars