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Preventive veterinary medicine2016; 125; 106-115; doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2016.01.009

Circulating serovars of Leptospira in cart horses of central and southern Ethiopia and associated risk factors.

Abstract: Little work has been done on diseases of horses in Ethiopia or tropical regions of the world. Yet, Ethiopia has the largest horse population in Africa and their horses play a pivotal role in their economy as traction animals. A serological and questionnaire survey was therefore conducted to determine the circulating serovars of Leptospira and their association with potential risk factors in the cart horse population of Central and Southern Ethiopia. A total of 184 out of 418 cart horses from 13 districts had antibody titres of 1:100 or greater to at least one of 16 serovars of Leptospira species in Central and Southern Ethiopian horses. A significantly higher seropositivity (62.1%) was noted in horses from the highland agroecology followed by midland (44.4%) and lowland (39.8%). Serovar Bratislava (34.5%) was the predominant serovar followed by serovars Djasiman (9.8%), Topaz (5.98%) and Pomona (5.3%). Age and location proved to be associated with seropositive horses with older horses being more commonly affected and the districts of Ziway (Batu) (Apparent Prevalence (AP)=65.5%), Shashemene (AP=48.3%) and Sebeta (AP=41.4%) having the highest prevalence. Multivariable logistic regression found risk factors significantly associated with Leptospira seropositive horses were drinking river water (OR=2.8) and horses 7-12 years old (OR=5) and risk factors specifically associated with serovar Bratislava seropositive horses were drinking river water (OR=2.5), horses ≥13 years (OR=3.5) and the presence of dogs in adjacent neighbouring properties (OR=0.3). Dogs had a protective effect against seropositivity to serovars Bratislava and Djasiman, which may be due to their ability to control rodents. The high seroprevalence confirm that leptospirosis is endemic among horses of Central and Southern Ethiopia. The predominance of serovar Bratislava supports the idea that serovar Bratislava may be adapted to and maintained by the horse population of Central and Southern Ethiopia. This study emphasizes the need for further countrywide serological surveys and isolation of circulating leptospires in animals and humans in order to understand the role of horses in the epidemiology of this disease.
Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Publication Date: 2016-01-11 PubMed ID: 26809943DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2016.01.009Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article investigates the prevalence and contributing factors to the disease Leptospirosis in cart horses in Ethiopia. It highlights that age, location, and the water source for these horses contribute to disease susceptibility, and that the serovar Bratislava is predominant in the horse population.

Study Overview and Methodology

  • The research involved a serological and questionnaire survey to determine the circulating serovars (different variations) of Leptospira (the bacteria causing Leptospirosis) in the cart horse population in Central and Southern Ethiopia.
  • The investigation encompassed 418 cart horses from 13 districts and identified which horses had antibody titres of 1:100 or more to at least one of the 16 analysed serovars of Leptospira species.

Research Findings

  • The study found that 184 of the 418 horses showed signs of exposure to Leptospira.
  • The majority of these horses belonged to highland areas, followed by midland, and then lowland regions.
  • The most common serovar identified was Bratislava, followed by Djasiman, Topaz, and Pomona.
  • Elder horses were more likely to be affected, with the districts of Ziway, Shashemene, and Sebeta having the highest prevalence of Leptospira seropositivity.

Risk Factors Associated

  • Factors associated with horses testing positive for Leptospira were their water source and age.
  • Horses that drank river water were nearly three times more likely to be infected.
  • Horses between 7 and 12 years old were more prone to disease.
  • Dogs in the neighbouring properties had a protective effect against horses testing positive for serovars Bratislava and Djasiman. The researchers suggest this could be due to dogs’ ability to control rodent populations, which are common carriers of Leptospira.

Implications of the Research

  • The research confirms that leptospirosis is widespread among horses in Central and Southern Ethiopia with Bratislava as the predominant serovar.
  • The study suggests Bratislava may be specifically adapted to the horse population in these regions.
  • The authors propose further country-wide surveys and isolation of circulating leptospires in animals and humans. This would help understand the disease’s role in the broader epidemiological context and potentially inform future control and prevention strategies.

Cite This Article

APA
Tsegay K, Potts AD, Aklilu N, Lötter C, Gummow B. (2016). Circulating serovars of Leptospira in cart horses of central and southern Ethiopia and associated risk factors. Prev Vet Med, 125, 106-115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2016.01.009

Publication

Preventive veterinary medicine
ISSN: 1873-1716
NlmUniqueID: 8217463
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 125
Pages: 106-115

Researcher Affiliations

Tsegay, K
  • Discipline of Veterinary Science, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia.
Potts, A D
  • Agricultural Research Council, Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Private Bag X05, Onderstepoort, South Africa.
Aklilu, N
  • Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad-Ethiopia project, College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, Bishoftu, Ethiopia.
Lötter, C
  • Agricultural Research Council, Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Private Bag X05, Onderstepoort, South Africa.
Gummow, B
  • Discipline of Veterinary Science, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia; Department of Production Animal Studies, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa. Electronic address: bruce.gummow@jcu.edu.au.

MeSH Terms

  • Agglutination Tests / veterinary
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / blood
  • Ethiopia / epidemiology
  • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
  • Horse Diseases / microbiology
  • Horses
  • Leptospira / genetics
  • Leptospirosis / epidemiology
  • Leptospirosis / microbiology
  • Leptospirosis / veterinary
  • Male
  • Prevalence
  • Risk Factors
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies
  • Serogroup

Citations

This article has been cited 14 times.
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