Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Leptospirosis exposure in dogs in urban Harare and rural Zimbabwe
By Dhliwayo, Solomon et al.·Published in The Onderstepoort journal of veterinary research·2012·Department of Paraclinical Veterinary Studies·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Seroprevalence of leptospirosis in dogs in urban Harare and selected rural communities in Zimbabwe.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that 15.6% of dogs tested in urban Harare and rural communities in Zimbabwe had antibodies for leptospirosis, a disease that can affect both dogs and humans. Urban dogs were more likely to be infected than rural ones, with 25% testing positive compared to 11.2%. Dogs with liver or kidney problems were nearly twice as likely to have the disease. Most dog owners were aware of zoonoses (diseases that can spread from animals to humans), but only 5% knew about leptospirosis specifically. This highlights the need for better education for dog owners to help control the disease and protect public health.
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Abstract
A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate seroprevalence of canine leptospirosis in urban Harare and five selected rural communities in Zimbabwe and to assess public awareness of the disease. Sera from randomly selected dogs were tested for antibodies to the serovars Canicola, Grippotyphosa, Icterohaemorrhagiae and Pomona of Leptospira interrogans using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Clinical chemistry was performed on all seropositive and selected seronegative sera to screen for hepatic and renal insufficiency. A questionnaire- based survey was conducted in Harare to assess dog owners' awareness of leptospirosis and other zoonoses. Overall, 15.6% of sera samples tested (39 out of 250; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.0% - 20.2%) were positive for leptospiral antibodies. A significantly higher (p < 0.05) seroprevalence was recorded in urban dogs than in rural dogs (25% vs. 11.2%). No significant difference in seroprevalence was observed amongst dogs from different rural communities or between sexes of dogs. There was a significant association between seropositivity and hepatic and/or renal insufficiency (p < 0.01), with dogs having hepatic and/or renal insufficiency being approximately twice as likely to be seropositive (relative risk = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.3-3.0). Of the dog owners, 78.8% (119/151) were aware of zoonoses. Except for rabies (92.4%), awareness of leptospirosis (5.0%) and other zoonoses amongst these owners was low. This study showed that leptospirosis was present and represented a risk to dogs from urban Harare and the selected rural communities in Zimbabwe. Availing training programmes for dog owners would be beneficial in improving disease control and reducing the public health risk of pet zoonoses.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23327324/