Serological studies on leptospirosis in livestock and chickens from Grenada and Trinidad.
Abstract: Sera from 1,206 livestock animals and chickens on Grenada and Trinidad were tested for leptospiral antibodies by the microscopic agglutination test. 376 of the sera were positive (25% of those tested on Grenada and 44% on Trinidad). The positive sera were obtained from 25% of 324 cattle, 35% of 130 pigs, 35% of 146 sheep, 25% of 44 goats and 11% of 175 chickens on Grenada; and 92% of 26 cattle, 53% of 122 pigs, 76% of 87 horses and donkeys and 11% of 144 chickens on Trinidad. Eight sera from ducks and geese on Trinidad were tested and found to be negative. The serogroups most commonly found to react with the sera of the Grenadian animals were Autumnalis, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Hebdomadis and the related serogroups Sejroe and Mini, and Pyrogenes; in the Trinidadian animals they were Icterohaemorrhagiae, Autumnalis, Hebdomadis and its related serogroups, and Panama. Strains of serogroup Pomona do not appear to have become established as livestock pathogens on the islands.
Publication Date: 1985-01-01 PubMed ID: 3832496DOI: 10.1016/0035-9203(85)90138-5Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This study conducted tests on livestock and chickens in Grenada and Trinidad to find out the presence of leptospiral antibodies. These antibodies are indicative of leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that can affect both humans and animals. Different degrees of positivity were observed in the serum samples collected from different species of animals, and various kinds of leptospiral serogroups were identified in the positive cases.
Survey and Sampling
- The research team collected sera from 1,206 livestock animals and chickens from Grenada and Trinidad.
- The sample included a range of animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and chickens.
- Eight sera from ducks and geese on Trinidad were also collected for testing.
Analytical Method
- The researchers used the Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT), a laboratory test often used to detect leptospiral antibodies.
- If an animal’s blood serum reacts in the test to cause agglutination (clumping), it indicates the presence of antibodies to leptospira bacteria, hence a positive result suggests the animal has been exposed to the bacteria.
Key Findings
- 376 of the sera were positive indicating a substantial portion of the livestock had been exposed to the leptospira bacteria.
- Compared to the total number tested, 25% of animals on Grenada and 44% on Trinidad were positive.
- In terms of specific animals, positive sera were found in 25% of 324 cattle, 35% of 130 pigs, 35% of 146 sheep, 25% of 44 goats, and 11% of 175 chickens on Grenada. On Trinidad, positivity was found in 92% of 26 cattle, 53% of 122 pigs, 76% of 87 horses and donkeys, and 11% of 144 chickens.
- The eight sera from ducks and geese on Trinidad tested were all negative.
- The most common leptospiral serogroups found in Grenadian animals were Autumnalis, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Hebdomadis and the related serogroups Sejroe and Mini, and Pyrogenes. In Trinidadian animals, they were Icterohaemorrhagiae, Autumnalis, Hebdomadis and its related serogroups, and Panama.
- Interestingly, no strains of serogroup Pomona, which are often associated with livestock, appear to have established in the animals on these islands.
Implications
- This study demonstrates the presence of leptospiral infection in a variety of livestock animal species on the islands of Grenada and Trinidad.
- The findings reiterate that leptospirosis is a widespread zoonotic disease that can affect various types of animals, with potential ramifications for both public health and livestock industry.
- The absence of Pomona serogroup suggests variations in regional leptospira fauna and might indicate geographical or host-related peculiarities.
Cite This Article
APA
Everard CO, Fraser-Chanpong GM, James AC, Butcher LV.
(1985).
Serological studies on leptospirosis in livestock and chickens from Grenada and Trinidad.
Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg, 79(6), 859-864.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0035-9203(85)90138-5 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Agglutination Tests
- Animals
- Antibodies, Bacterial / analysis
- Cattle
- Cattle Diseases / immunology
- Chickens
- Goats
- Horse Diseases / immunology
- Horses
- Leptospirosis / immunology
- Leptospirosis / veterinary
- Poultry Diseases / immunology
- Sheep
- Sheep Diseases / immunology
- Swine
- Swine Diseases / immunology
- Trinidad and Tobago
- West Indies
Citations
This article has been cited 13 times.- Pescador-Gutiérrez AM, Chávez-Sánchez JF, Galaviz-Silva L, Zarate-Ramos JJ, Villarreal-Villarreal JP, Bernal-García SE, Castillo-Velázquez U, Cervantes-Vega R, Avalos-Ramirez R. Bovine Leptospirosis: Serology, Isolation, and Risk Factors in Dairy Farms of La Laguna, Mexico. Life (Basel) 2025 Aug 2;15(8).
- de Araújo Portela R, Limeira CH, Bezerra JAB, Martins CM, da Costa DF, Santos CSAB, Alves CJ, Azevedo SS. Insights on the Pooled Prevalence and Global Distribution of Leptospirosis in Goats: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Microorganisms 2024 Nov 22;12(12).
- Cranford HM, Taylor M, Browne AS, Alt DP, Anderson T, Hamond C, Hornsby RL, LeCount K, Schlater L, Stuber T, De Wilde L, Burke-France VJ, Ellis EM, Nally JE, Bradford B. Exposure and Carriage of Pathogenic Leptospira in Livestock in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Trop Med Infect Dis 2021 May 24;6(2).
- Biscornet L, de Comarmond J, Bibi J, Mavingui P, Dellagi K, Tortosa P, Pagès F. An Observational Study of Human Leptospirosis in Seychelles. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2020 Sep;103(3):999-1008.
- Bevans AI, Fitzpatrick DM, Stone DM, Butler BP, Smith MP, Cheetham S. Phylogenetic relationships and diversity of bat-associated Leptospira and the histopathological evaluation of these infections in bats from Grenada, West Indies. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020 Jan;14(1):e0007940.
- Peters A, Vokaty A, Portch R, Gebre Y. Leptospirosis in the Caribbean: a literature review. Rev Panam Salud Publica 2017;41:e166.
- Sharma RN, Thille K, Piechowski B, Tiwari K. Detection of serum antibodies against Leptospira spp. in brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Grenada, West Indies. Vet World 2019 May;12(5):696-699.
- Grevemeyer B, Vandenplas M, Beigel B, Cho E, Willingham AL, Verma A. Detection of Leptospiral DNA in the Urine of Donkeys on the Caribbean Island of Saint Kitts. Vet Sci 2017 Jan 10;4(1).
- Pinto Pda S, Libonati H, Penna B, Lilenbaum W. A systematic review on the microscopic agglutination test seroepidemiology of bovine leptospirosis in Latin America. Trop Anim Health Prod 2016 Feb;48(2):239-48.
- Martins G, Lilenbaum W. Leptospirosis in sheep and goats under tropical conditions. Trop Anim Health Prod 2014 Jan;46(1):11-7.
- Lau CL, Dobson AJ, Smythe LD, Fearnley EJ, Skelly C, Clements AC, Craig SB, Fuimaono SD, Weinstein P. Leptospirosis in American Samoa 2010: epidemiology, environmental drivers, and the management of emergence. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2012 Feb;86(2):309-19.
- Biggs HM, Bui DM, Galloway RL, Stoddard RA, Shadomy SV, Morrissey AB, Bartlett JA, Onyango JJ, Maro VP, Kinabo GD, Saganda W, Crump JA. Leptospirosis among hospitalized febrile patients in northern Tanzania. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2011 Aug;85(2):275-81.
- Suepaul SM, Carrington CV, Campbell M, Borde G, Adesiyun AA. Seroepidemiology of leptospirosis in livestock in Trinidad. Trop Anim Health Prod 2011 Feb;43(2):367-75.
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