Leptospira

• A 3-year old male German shepherd was brought to the local veterinary clinic due to a fever up to 107 °F, which lasted ~48 hours.
• Within 1 day after the fever began, the dog became depressed and anorectic.
• Initially, tonsillitis and pharyngitis, with petechiae, were present.
• The study provides national and international decision makers with the evidence to invest in initiatives aimed at preventing the disease, such as development of new vaccines.
• Leptospirosis is a life-threatening disease caused by spirochetal bacteria, which is found in the urine of rats and other mammals, and can survive in soil and water, infecting people through cuts and scrapes on the skin.
• In developing countries, leptospirosis can lead to bleeding in the lungs and kidney failure.
• Pericorneal injection (conjunctivitis) was prominent and jaundice was visible in the sclera.
• Vomiting and diarrhea, with blood, were also present.
• There was a nasal discharge that was serous to bloody and stained with bile.
• The liver was not palpable, and urine volume was greatly decreased.
• Palpation of kidneys was painful.
• Dehydration, weakness, and emaciation were other clinical signs.
• A herd of about 40 cows was plagued by abortions in early Fall.
• In June, two cows had mastitis with yellowish, thick, blood-tinged milk, which lasted several days and then cleared without treatment.
• About 1 week before the abortions, one cow was passing bloody urine.
• The cow was treated with sulfonamides, but died and a necropsy revealed only cystitis and inflammed kidneys.
• Plant poisoning was suspected.
• Initially 4 cows aborted in one day, 1-2 months from term.
• All had retained placentas that were very tough (like Brucella ), but the herd was Brucella free.
• The next week 6 more cows aborted.
• The most appropriate test(s) to ask for to determine the cause of these diseases is(are): Culture, Serological assays from blood samples, Darkfield microscopy, A and/or B, B and/or C.
• Cattle with antibodies to LPS may not be protected against another serovar.
• Control of Leptospira involves multivalent bacterin vaccines, preventing exposure, and therapeutic and prophylactic use of antibiotics.
• Silver impregnation staining is a method used to identify Leptospira carriers.
• Norway rats and serovar icterohaemorrhagiae are carriers of Leptospira.
• Leptospira immunity involves LPS, a major protective antigen, early antibodies that clear leptospires from blood by opsonization, and humoral immunity.
• Leptospirosis: Incidence and Mortality Estimates from the International Society for Infectious Diseases show that more than 1 million people contract a tropical disease known as leptospirosis each year, resulting in nearly 59,000 deaths.
• Treatment and public health measures for Leptospirosis include antibiotics, which are effective in severe cases and can reduce the carrier state.
• Abortion does not occur again with the same serovar.
• Direct smear examination is a method used to identify Leptospira carriers.
• The worldwide impact of leptospirosis is greatly underestimated, according to the study.
• Leptospira serovar-specific antibodies can be detected within 5 to 20 days after infection.
• Diagnosis of Leptospirosis involves darkfield microscopy of urine or water, serology, isolation or passage in hamsters, and FA staining of tissues.
• The carrier state of Leptospira can be identified through glomeruli and the proximal convoluted tubule.
• Zoonosis of Leptospirosis can occur through wound infection, mucosal and conjunctival exposure, and is a risk for persons swimming in contaminated water, especially children.
• In Case #1, the disease had progressed too far for treatment.
• Blood and urine samples were collected, and the latter examined by darkfield microscopy.
• Spirochetes were observed in the urine.
• The dog was euthanized and tissues were examined by histopathology.
• The initial replication of Leptospires occurs in the liver, with an incubation period of 4-20 days.