Serological, molecular and bacteriological approaches for detecting Leptospira sp. carrier rams maintained in semiarid conditions.

Serological, molecular and bacteriological approaches for detecting Leptospira sp. carrier rams maintained in semiarid conditions. Acta Trop. 2020 Nov 13;:105759 Authors: Soares RR, Barnabé NNDC, Nogueira DB, da Silva LSC, Júnior JPA, Malossi CD, Ullmann LS, da Costa DF, Silva MLCR, Dos Santos Higino SS, de Azevedo SS, Alves CJ Abstract Even in the adverse environmental conditions of the semiarid region, leptospires can survive and spread by alternative routes of transmission, such as sexual in ewes, however, there is no data on rams. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the use of serological, molecular and microbial tools applied to diagnosis of Leptospira sp. Infection in rams maintained in semiarid conditions. Biological samples of urinary (urine, kidney and bladder) and genital (vas deferens, epididymis tail and vesicular gland) tracts were collected from 40 slaughtered rams for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and bacterial isolation, as well as blood samples for antibody detection through microscopic serum agglutination test (MAT). Anti-Leptospira antibodies were found in five (12.5%) animals with antibody titer of 50 and 2 (5%) for the titer 100 for serogroups Pyrogenes, Ballum, Icterohaemorrhagiae and Australis. Leptospira sp. DNA was found in PCR of organs and urine of 30 (75%) animals. Overall, 240 fragments of organs from the urinary and genital tracts and urine were evaluated, with 93 (38.7%) positive samples, bein...
Source: Acta Tropica - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Tags: Acta Trop Source Type: research