Serological studies on leptospirosis in livestock and chickens from Grenada

ABSTRACT

Sera from 1206 livestock animals and chickens in Grenada and Trinidad were tested for leptospiral antibodies by the microscopic agglutination test. 376 of the sera were positive (44 percent of those tested in Trinidad and 25 percent of those tested in Grenada). The positive sera were obtained from 25 percent of 324 cattle 35 percent of 130 pigs, 35 percent of 126 sheep, 25 percent of 44 goats, and 11 percent of 175 chickens in Grenada; and 92 percent of 26 cattle, 53 percent of 122 pigs, 76 percent of 86 horses, and 11 percent of 144 chickens in Trinidad. 8 sera from ducks and geese in Trinidad were tested and found to be negative. The serogroups most commonly found to react with sera of the Grenadian animals were Autumnalis, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Hebdomadis and the related serogroups Sejroe and Mini, and Pyrogenes; in the Trinidadian animals they were Icterohaemorrhagiae, Autumnalis, Hebdomadis and its related serogroups and Panama. Strains of serogroup Pomona do not appear to have become established as livestock pathogens on the islands (AU)