Naslov
Features of canine leptospirosis in Croatia

Autori
Stritof, Zrinka ; Habuš, Josipa ; Mojčec, Vesna ; Milas, Zoran ; Perharić, Matko ; Martinković, Kresimir ; Staresina, Vilim ; Barbić, Ljubo ; Stevanovic, Vladimir ; Hadina, Suzana ; Turk, Nenad

Izvornik
Macedonian veterinary review (1409-7621) 38 (2015); 33-33

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
leptospirosis ; canine ; clinical signs ; epizootiology ; Croatia
(leptospiroza ; pas ; klinički znakovi ; epizootiologija ; Hrvatska)

Sažetak
Canine leptospirosis is a well known zoonotic infection with worldwide distribution. The serovars Canicola and Icterohaemorrhagiae have traditionally been responsible for most cases of canine leptospiroses. The use of widely available bivalent vaccines containing those two serovars has greatly reduced canine leptospirosis. However, re-emergence of the disease has been detected in Europe and North America, partly due to changes in the infecting serovars. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the presumed infective serovars and to analyse main epidemiological and clinical features among clinically ill dogs in Croatia. A retrospective analysis of archive data obtained from NR Laboratory for leptospires and Clinic for infectious diseases was conducted. During a period of four years (January 2010 to October 2014), 311 canine sera were submitted to the Laboratory for leptospires, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb. Using a microscopic agglutination test (MAT) with cut-off point of 1:800, isolation procedures and/or PCR - 67 (21, 5%) positive animals were detected. The most prevalent presumed infective serovars, in decreasing order, were Pomona (33, 3%), Icterohaemorrhagiae (26, 7%), Grippotyphosa (21, 7%) and Bratislava (11, 7%) and infection was mainly detected in large breed male dogs from suburban and urban areas. Detailed clinical data of 27 dogs that were presented at the Clinic for Infectious diseases was additionally analysed. Most common presenting clinical signs included lethargy (89%), anorexia (85%), vomiting (70%), muscle weakness (63%), icterus (59%) and abdominal pain (59%). Major haematological and biochemical abnormalities were azotemia (93%), thrombocytopenia (70%), bilirubinemia (70%), anaemia (59%) and leukocytosis (56%). Although acute renal and hepatic failures were the most frequent clinical manifestations in dogs with leptospirosis a very high percentage of dogs with pulmonary involvement (41%) was also detected. Eight dogs were euthanized because of financial reasons connected with the high costs of intensive care while survival rate in treated animals was 63%. Negative outcome was mainly associated with leptospirosis pulmonary haemorrhagic syndrome (LPHS) and/or severe acute kidney injury (AKI). In this study, an increasing overall incidence of canine leptospirosis was detected, as well as increasing incidence of severe cases with high mortality due to severe AKI and pulmonary involvement. In addition, results showed that most infections were caused by serovars not covered by the currently used vaccines raising questions concerning its efficacy in preventing leptospirosis in dogs.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Veterinarska medicina

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