ANTI-LEPTOSPIROSIS AGGLUTININ RESEARCH IN THE SERUM OF RIG
PULLING EQUINE IN Porto Alegre/RS – Brasil
Camila Serina Lasta, Luciana Paula Merini1, Simone Tostes de Oliveira, Vanessa
Galimberti, Viviane Pedralli, Alexandra Tiso Cormelato, José Antonio Simões Pires
Neto, Carlos Afonso de Castro Beck, Félix H. D. González, Luiza Aita de Lemos
Introduction: Leptospirosis is one of the main world zoonosis and Brazil is considered
an endemic area for the disease, which presents serious risk to public health. Equine
leptospirosis is a disease caused by different serum varieties of Leptospira interrogans,
and however it may cause sereve illness, abortion and other reproductive tract problems,
most infections have an asymptomatic characteristic. Equine can excrete viable leptospira
in urine for approximately 14 weeks, which make them an important resorvoir for the
transmission of the disease to other animal and to men. Objectives: To investigate the
ocurrence of antibodies anti Leptospira interrogans in equine used for rig pulling when
collecting recyclable trash in Porto Alegre – RS. Methods: 125 serum samples were
tested for the presence of agglutinins agains 13 serum varieties of Leptospira interrogans
through the plate micro agglutination test, being considered as a positive result,
agglutinations equal or above 1: 100. Results: 92 samples (73.6 %) were positive, being:
50 samples (54.34 %) positive to the serum variety Pomona, 48 samples (52.17 %) to
Icterohaemorrhagie, 16 samples
(7.39 %) to Australis, 15 samples (16.3 %) to
Copenhageni, 9 samples (9.78 %) to Autumnalis, 6 samples (6.52 %) to Hardjo, 6
samples (6.52 %) to Wolffi, 5 samples (5.43 %) to Heb, 2 samples (2.17 %) to
Grippothyphosa, 2 samples (2.17 %) to Pyrogens, 1 sample (1.08 %) to Canicola and 1
sample (1.08 %) to Tarassovi, considering that 73 samples presented antibodies against
two or mora serum varieties. No agglutination was observed to the serum variety
Bratislava. Discussion and Conclusions: In Porto Alegre, equine leptospirosis can be
considered endemic. Considering that none of the animals analised presente clinical signs
suggesting Leptospirosis, the equine used to pull rigs to collect recyclable trash play a
very import part as reservoirs to the disease, since they cover great distances daily and
can carry the microorganism from one place to another within the city.
1
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS).
Author adress: 9090, Av. Bento Gonçalves, Agronomia, ZIP Code: 91540-000, Porto Alegre – RS/Brazil
(BRA). E-mail: [email protected]