Aim: To study the seroprevalence of
leptospirosis in dogs in Kerala and to identify
the most prevalent serovar. Materials and
Methods: A total of 205 sera collected from
dogs were screened for the presence of antibodies
against leptospirosis by Microscopic Agglutination
Test (MAT).
Results: A seroprevalence rate
of 71.12 per cent was observed. Leptospira
interrogans serovar Autumnalis was found to be the
most prevalent serovar followed by Australis,
Pomona, Canicola, Pyrogenes, Icterohaemorrhagiae,
Javanica and Patoc.
Conclusions: The
results revealed the high prevalence of anti
leptospiral antibodies in dogs in Kerala. The
emergence of serovars other than the vaccinal
serovars necessitates the incorporation of these
in the vaccines because the immunity against
leptospirosis is serovar specific.
Keywords:
canine leptospirosis, MAT, seroprevalence
