Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How leptospirosis vaccination affects infection tests in dogs
By Griebsch, Christine et al.·Published in Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases·2025·Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Australia·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Vaccination with monovalent Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni and its implication for the diagnosis of natural infection in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at how well dogs respond to a leptospirosis vaccine, specifically the monovalent Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni. After vaccination, many dogs developed antibodies, but the response was generally weak and short-lived. Most dogs had no detectable antibodies by 12 weeks after vaccination, which means the vaccine is unlikely to affect the diagnosis of leptospirosis unless tested within two weeks of the primary vaccination. This suggests that while the vaccine is helpful, it may not interfere with diagnosing natural infections in dogs.
People also search for: dog leptospirosis vaccine response · symptoms of leptospirosis in dogs · how long does leptospirosis vaccine last
Abstract
Using microscopic agglutination test (MAT), a single titre ≥ 1/800 in dogs unvaccinated against leptospirosis is considered suggestive of infection. The emergence of canine leptospirosis in Sydney, Australia, led to considerable vaccination uptake with monovalent Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni, yet the humoral response post-vaccination has not been described. Aims were to characterise magnitude and duration of humoral response post-vaccination with serovar Copenhageni (Protech®C2i, Boehringer Ingelheim, Australia) in healthy dogs to assess potential effects on diagnosis. Serial MAT testing (24 serovars) was performed before and after annual booster vaccination (group 1, n = 13) and primary vaccination (group 2, n = 14). Serum was collected before and 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 26, 39 and 52 weeks post-vaccination. Antibodies against serovar Copenhageni developed in 62 % (8/13) in group 1 (highest titre 1/100) and 71 % (10/14) in group 2 (highest titre 1/400). Antibodies developed against seven other serovars both from the same and from multiple different serogroups and exceeded titres to Copenhageni in 33 %. In group 2, titres reached 1/800 in weeks 1 and 2 post-vaccination (serovar Bratislava). One dog (group 1) developed antibodies to Bratislava but not Copenhageni. Four in group 1 (31 %) and group 2 (29 %) had no antibody response detected. There was no association between vaccination history and seroconversion, however response was more pronounced after primary vaccination. Most (group 1, 77 % (10/13); group 2, 71 % (10/14)) had no antibodies by week 12. Vaccination elicited a weak, short humoral response, unlikely to interfere with diagnosis, except within two weeks of completing a primary vaccination course.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41151134/