Anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies in pigs slaughtered in the agreste region of Pernambuco, Brazil
Samico-Fernandes, Erika Fernanda TorresAlbuquerque, Pedro Paulo Feitosa deSamico-Fernandes, Marcela Fernanda TorresSantos, André de SouzaSilva, Amanda Thaís FerreiraGalvão, Cynthia Maria Morais de QueirozRolim, Maria Betânia de QueirozMota, Rinaldo Aparecido
Background: Swine production and productivity rates can be influenced by several factors, such as genetics, environmentalconditions, nutritional factors, previous infections and others. Among infectious diseases, leptospirosis is a well-knowncause of reproductive disorders in pigs. These animals are considered carriers of the disease when they are in the terminalstage of the infection and the Veterinary Inspection Service has not been notified when they are slaughtered. Consideringthe lack of epidemiological information on Leptospira infection in pigs in the state of Pernambuco, the aim of this studywas to investigate anti-Leptospira antibodies in pigs slaughtered in the Agreste region of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil.Materials, Methods & Results: Blood samples were collected from 305 pigs in 11 municipalities in the Agreste region ofPernambuco. The animals had no history of vaccination, and were raised on subsistence-oriented family farms. The serawere subjected to the Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) for the detection of antibodies. The serovars used in the MATwere: Icterohaemorrhagiae, Copenhageni, Javanica, Canicola, Castellonis, Pyrogenenes, Cynopteri, Autumnalis, Sentot,Djasiman, Australis, Pomona, Grippotyphosa, Hebdomadis, Wolffi, Sejroe, Saxkoebing, Bataviae, Tarassovi, Panama,Patoc, Andamana, Celledoni, Shermani, Brastilava and Hardjo. Sera showing titers of ≥100 were considered positive. TheMAT results indicated that 78/305 (25.57%) of the samples were positive, and were distributed in the 11 municipalities.The most frequent serovars were Icterohaemorrhagiae, Copenhageni, and Djasiman, with frequencies of 55.13%, 17.95%and 6.41%, respectively.Discussion: Swine infected with leptospirosis showed few or no signs of the disease. However, the bacteria can be carriedfor long periods in convoluted tubules of the kidney and their urinary excretion may last for years...(AU)
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