A systematic review of leptospirosis on dogs, pigs, and horses in Latin America.

The research article focuses on researching and understanding leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease, in dogs, pigs, and horses in Latin America to better control the disease.

Background

• Leptospirosis is a global zoonotic disease that can impact a variety of species. The disease is particularly prevalent in Latin America among dogs, pigs, and horses.
• The study aims to enhance the understanding of the seroepidemiology of leptospirosis in these animals in this region, as well as the temporal progression of research on this topic.
• The ultimate goal is to improve the success of control programs geared towards managing and curtailing this disease.

Methodology

• The researchers carried out a systematic review by studying online databases over the course of 2015. They carefully defined criteria for inclusion in the study.
• The criteria demanded a serosurvey using Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT), a significant number of animals, the inclusion of at least one representative of specific serogroups in the antigen panel, and a cutoff point of 100 or above.

Results and Findings

• A total of 240 papers were scrutinized. Of these, 87 related to dogs, 66 to pigs, 39 to horses, and 48 to more than one of the studied species.
• Of those studies that fulfiled all the inclusion criteria, the researchers found 45 studies (66.2%) regarding dogs, 23 studies (41.8%) on pigs, and 23 studies (63.9%) on horses.
• The findings suggest that leptospirosis is widespread in Latin America and the predominant serogroups are Canicola in dogs and Icterohaemorrhagiae in pigs and horses.

Implications and Conclusions

• Given the significant presence of leptospirosis in Latin America, the article stresses the importance of encouraging more research on animal leptospirosis in the region.
• By reaching a greater standardization in studies, better and more effective results can be derived from control programs aimed at managing the disease.