Leptospirosis in wildlife and cats- Pilot study

Abstract

The studies presented in this paper are both studies about the role of Leptospirosis in animals in the (sub-) urban area. The first part is a pilot study on the prevalence of Leptospirosis in pest animals in the (sub-) urban area of Palmerston North which. Out of 36 caught animals (possums, hedgehogs, stoats, mice and rats) 6 were PCR positive (17%). Of the same 36 animals, 1 out of 7 (14%) urine samples were DNA positive and 6 out of 23 (26%) blood samples were seropositive for Leptospira spp. Three of the seropositive animals were positive for L. Hardjo, two were positive for L. Ballum, and one sample was positive for both serovars. The amount of animals though is insufficient to say something about the prevalence in the different species investigated, but there is already evidence of both L. and L. Ballum in pest animals living in the (sub)-urban area

The second part of the studies was a pilot study on the prevalence of Leptospirosis in cats. A total of 180 cat serum samples was tested of which a total of 59 cats (32.7%) were positive for one or more serovars. L. Ballum was the serovar most found among the positive cats: 56 of the 180 tested cats had antibodies against L. Ballum (31,1%). It is likely that cats get in contact with leptospirosis due to contact with infected rodents, but to prove that, a more comprehensive study is needed.