This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Leptospirosis is a neglected zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic Leptospira bacteria and can affect humans and animals, including horses. A new study published in BMC Veterinary Research analyzed how common exposure to Leptospira is in horses in Connecticut and what strains they had been exposed to.
Camila Hamond, assistant research professor in the Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR). Equine leptospirosis can result in abortion, stillbirth, neonatal death, placentitis and equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), or "moon blindness." ERU is a common cause of ocular pain and blindness in horses, and it can lead to decreased sports performance. Foals are also particularly susceptible to acute illness.
"Horses play an important role in the lives of Connecticut residents in the form of leisure pursuits and related business activities," Hamond says. "If horses have reproductive problems, this can impact production and potentially the [economy] too." The UConn team tested nearly 400 samples for 40 different strains of Leptospira. Elsio Wunder's group received the samples from the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL), a nationally accredited veterinary diagnostic laboratory located at UConn Storrs.
The CVMDL shared samples that had been submitted by horse owners to test for other diseases. The results showed that 61.5% of samples had antigens associated with one strain of Leptospira. The most detected serogroups were Djasiman, Grippotyphosa, Australis, Pomona and Icterohaemorrhagiae.
"The test we used can identify animals exposed to Leptospira, but does not differentiate between an antibody response from natural infection or vaccine response," Hamond says. "These results do not mean [that percentage of horses were] infected; it means [they were] exposed." There is a vaccine available to protect horses against Leptospira. However, it only targets the serogroup Pomona.
In this study, Pomona only accounted for 10% of positive results. It is not clear if the antigens were a result of vaccination or natural infection. Horses can come into contact with pathogenic Leptospira through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
