engleski

The role of wild boar (Sus scrofa) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) as potential reservoirs of serovar Australis in northwest Croatia

A total of 215 sera from wild boars (Sus scrofa) and 59 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from northwest Croatia were collected and tested by microscopic agglutination test (MAT) to antibodies against 12 Leptospira spp. serovars: Grippotyphosa, Sejroe, Australis, Pomona, Canicola, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Tarassovi, Saxkoebing, Ballum, Bataviae, Poi and Hardjo. Out of 215 sera, leptospira antibodies for one or more serovars were found in 75 wild boar sera (34.88%). The most commonly found serovars were Australis, Grippotyphosa, Tarassovi and Pomona. In red foxes antibodies were found in 34 sera (57.6%), most often for serovar Australis, then (in decreasing order) for serovars Sejroe, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Grippotyphosa and Saxkoebing. Results showed that seroprevalence for serovar Australis is dominant which is in strong correlation with previous results of seroepidemiology and isolation of leptospira from small mammals and another wild species in northwest Croatia. Comparing our results with investigations of etiology of leptospirosis in domestic animals and man in Croatia it is obvius that serovar Australis is circulating among wild animals and occasionally in domestic animals raised on pastures. The role of wild boar and red fox as a maintaining leptospira reservoir in natural foci of leptospirosis is still a matter of question and should be further elucidated.

leptospirosis ; wild boar ; red fox ; reservoir

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