Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dogs with leptospirosis antibodies do not test false positive
By Krecic, Matthew R·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2019·Zoetis Inc.·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Antibodies produced by dogs successfully challenged with live Leptospira spp. did not cross-react to Brucella antigen in a commercial rapid slide agglutination test that detects antibodies to Brucella canis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs that were intentionally infected with different types of Leptospira bacteria were tested for antibodies to Brucella canis, which can cause infertility and abortion in dogs. The tests showed that the antibodies from the Leptospira infections did not interfere with the results of a rapid test used to check for Brucella canis antibodies. This means that if a dog tests negative for Brucella canis, it is likely accurate even if the dog has been exposed to Leptospira. The study suggests that pet owners can trust the results of this test without worrying about false positives from Leptospira infections.
People also search for: dog infertility causes · Brucella canis test accuracy · Leptospira infection in dogs
Abstract
Brucella canis is a cause of canine infertility and abortion. Veterinarians and veterinary laboratorians screen for antibodies to B. canis with serologic tests including a rapid slide agglutination test (RSAT; D-Tec CB, Zoetis, San Diego, CA). False-positive results are possible because of cross-reactivity to antibodies to some gram-negative bacteria. Cross-reactivity has been reported between antibodies of Brucella abortus and Leptospira spp. with serologic tests for bovine brucellosis; however, this has not been documented with serologic tests for canine brucellosis, to the author's knowledge. The RSAT was evaluated with the sera from dogs experimentally challenged with 1 of 4 serovars of Leptospira spp.: L. kirschneri serovar Grippotyphosa, or L. interrogans serovars Canicola, Icterohaemorrhagiae, or Pomona. Experimental infections were confirmed through results of microscopic agglutination testing and/or lateral flow immunochromatography testing. The sera of 32 dogs collected at day 0 and days 7, 10, and 14 yielded negative results with the RSAT. Antibodies produced through experimental infections to these 4 serovars of Leptospira spp. did not cross-react with Brucella antigen with the RSAT; therefore, cross-reactivity of anti-leptospiral antibodies may not be of concern for B. canis rapid slide agglutination testing of dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30565511/