Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How dark field microscopy helps diagnose leptospirosis in dogs and
By Chandrasekaran, S & Pankajalakshmi, V V·Published in Indian journal of medical sciences·1997·Institute of Microbiology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Usefulness of dark field microscopy after differential centrifugation in the early diagnosis of leptospirosis in dog and its human contacts.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two police dogs were tested for leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that can affect both dogs and humans. One dog had a fever, while the other showed no symptoms, but both tested positive for the bacteria in their blood. Unfortunately, a third dog that died had jaundice, but leptospira was not found in its urine. This study highlights that using dark field microscopy after centrifugation can help diagnose leptospirosis early, which is crucial to prevent serious complications like jaundice in both pets and their human contacts.
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Abstract
1. We found leptospira in the blood of two out of three police dogs by dark field microscopic examination after high speed centrifugation. One dog had fever and the other was asymptomatic. Leptospira could not be seen in the urine of one police dog which died of jaundice. 11 out of 21 human contacts were found to be positive for leptospira after low speed centrifugation and 5 after high speed centrifugation. One child had jaundice and an another child had fever. Others had mild symptoms of headache to none. Dark field microscopy after differential centrifugation is useful in the early diagnosis of leptospirosis and thereby could prevent later complications like jaundice.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9355702/