Leptospira spp. infection in sheep herds in southeast Brazil

With the aim of studying Leptospira spp. infection in sheep herds, blood samples and respective kidney and liver fragments were collected from 100 animals from twenty different properties during slaughter at a meat company in the Sorocaba region, São Paulo state, southeast Brazil. The microscopic agglutination test (MAT) was performed with 29 strains of Leptospira spp. To identify the agent in the liver and kidney, 100 samples of each tissue were submitted to culture in Fletcher medium and analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Leptospira spp.(AU)

Leptospira spp. infection in sheep herds in southeast Brazil

With the aim of studying Leptospira spp. infection in sheep herds, blood samples and respective kidney and liver fragments were collected from 100 animals from twenty different properties during slaughter at a meat company in the Sorocaba region, São Paulo state, southeast Brazil. The microscopic agglutination test (MAT) was performed with 29 strains of Leptospira spp. To identify the agent in the liver and kidney, 100 samples of each tissue were submitted to culture in Fletcher medium and analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Leptospira spp.

Isolamento e reação em cadeia pela polimerase (PCR) para Leptospira spp. em amostras renais e hepáticas de ovinos sorologicamente positivos e negativos para leptospirose, abatidos em frigorífico, procedentes do estado de São Paulo

Nos últimos anos a ovinocultura reapareceu na região Sudeste, principalmente no estado de São Paulo, como solução econômica para os pecuaristas. Entretanto, havendo um estado sanitário deficiente na criação, pode-se haver a instalação de doenças nos rebanhos e diminuição na produção, como ocorre na leptospirose, uma das zoonoses mais representativas. Com o intuito de estudar a presença de Leptospira spp. nos rebanhos ovinos, foram colhidas 100 amostras sanguíneas e os respectivos fragmentos de fígado e rim dos animais de 20 diferentes propriedades, durante o abate em um frigorífico da região de Sorocaba/SP. Pela prova de Soroaglutinação Microscópica (SAM) obteve-se 23 amostras sorológicas positivas (23%) para um ou mais sorovares de Leptospira spp., com prevalência do sorovar Autumnalis. Para a pesquisa do agente em fragmentos de fígado e rim, 100 amostras de cada tecido foram cultivadas em meio de Fletcher, obtendo-se oito (4%) amostras positivas, sendo quatro para rim e quatro para fígado. Destes, cinco animais apresentaram sorologia positiva (um animal positivo simultaneamente para fígado e rim) e dois negativos. Com a prova de Reação em Cadeia pela Polimerase (PCR) para Leptospira spp. houve positividade em 14 (7%) amostras, sendo sete de rim e sete de fígado. Destes, dez eram animais positivos sorologicamente (dois animais positivos simultaneamente para fígado e rim) e dois negativos. Em relação a técnica de cultivo em meio de Fletcher®, a prova PCR demonstrou-se mais rápida, prática e sensível na detecção de leptospira. Pelos resultados obtidos ressalta-se a importância da espécie ovina no contexto epidemiológico da leptospirose

In recent years, sheep farming has reappeared in the Southeast region. However, having a deficient sanitary state, disease can appear in flocks and production reduce, which occurs with leptospirosis. With the aim of studying Leptospira spp. in sheep herds, 100 blood samples and respective kidney and liver fragments were collected from animals from 20 different properties during slaughter at a meat company in the Sorocaba region, SP, Brazil. The microscopic agglutination test (MAT) found 23 serologically positive samples for one or more Leptospira spp. serovars, with an antileptospire antibody occurrence rate of 23% and more significantly for the Autumnalis serovar. To study the agent in the liver or kidney, 100 samples of each tissue were submitted to culture in Fletcher medium using the Pasteur pipette method and analysed by the Polymerase Chain Reaction test, obtaining 12 positive animals considering both agent detection techniques. The Leptospira spp. cultures presented eight positive samples (four kidney and four liver), corresponding to five animals with positive serology (one animal simultaneously positive for both kidney and liver) and two negatives. PCR detected Leptospira in 14 samples (seven kidney and seven liver) corresponding to 12 positive animals (two animals simultaneously positive for kidney and liver), of these, ten were serologically positive and two negative.PCR was faster, more practical and sensitive than culture for detecting leptospire. Our results stress the importance of ovine specie in the epidemiological context of leptospirosis, acting as disease reservoirs and carriers for the environment and for rural and meat process workers