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Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)2021; 10(6); doi: 10.3390/pathogens10060688

Serological Survey of Leptospira Infection in Arabian Horses in Poland.

Abstract: Leptospirosis is one of the most common zoonotic infections worldwide, including in most livestock, some companion animals, horses, wildlife, and humans. Epidemiological estimation of its prevalence in all species is difficult due to the variety of clinical presentations and challenges regarding laboratory diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to measure the seroprevalence of leptospiral infection in Arabian horses kept in the largest breeding farms in Poland, representing over 15% of the Polish Arabian horse population. Leptospira antibodies were detected by MAT (cut-off 1:100) in 33.2% of serum samples (204 of 615 animals) (CI 95%: 29.6-37.0%), most frequently reacting with the serovar Grippotyphosa, similar to previous reports in populations of randomly selected horses. These results indicated high Leptospira seropositivity, thus, although any form of clinical leptospirosis is rare, it may be postulated that the leptospiral exposure is widespread.
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Publication Date: 2021-06-01 PubMed ID: 34206112PubMed Central: PMC8228686DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10060688Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

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 is about a study conducted on Arabian horses in Poland to determine the prevalence of Leptospira infection, a common zoonotic infection worldwide. It reveals that a significant percentage of tested horses had antibodies for this infection, indicating broad exposure despite rare clinical leptospirosis.

Introduction to Leptospirosis

  • Leptospirosis is a widespread zoonotic infection, affecting many animals worldwide including livestock, companion animals, horses, wildlife, and humans. It’s caused by bacteria from the genus Leptospira.
  • The infection presents in a variety of forms, making it challenging to estimate its prevalence across different species.

Objective of the Research

  • The main aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Leptospira infection in Arabian horses inhabiting some of the largest breeding farms in Poland. These represented over 15% of the Arabian horse population in the country.

Methodology of the Research

  • This study was conducted using the Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT), which is a serological test used to detect and measure the presence of antibodies against Leptospira in the blood serum of the horses.
  • A cut-off for the test was set at 1:100, meaning that if the bacteria could survive in a serum diluted 100 times, the horse was considered seropositive—indicating previous exposure to Leptospira.
  • 615 serum samples were collected from different Arabian horses for the test.

Results of the Research

  • It was found that 33.2% (204 out of 615) of the horse serum samples tested had a positive reaction to the Leptospira infection. This shows a high prevalence of this infection among this sample of the Arabian horse population in Poland.
  • The horses most frequently reacted to the serovar Grippotyphosa, which is consistent with the results from similar studies conducted on randomly selected horse populations in other research.

Significance of the Findings

  • Despite clinical cases of leptospirosis being a rare occurrence, these results suggest that Arabian horses in Poland are exposed to Leptospira at a high rate. This suggests the need for preventive measures to protect these valuable animals from the disease.

Cite This Article

APA
Wasiński B, Paschalis-Trela K, Trela J, Czopowicz M, Kita J, Żychska M, Cywińska A, Markowska-Daniel I, Carter C, Witkowski L. (2021). Serological Survey of Leptospira Infection in Arabian Horses in Poland. Pathogens, 10(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10060688

Publication

Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)
ISSN: 2076-0817
NlmUniqueID: 101596317
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 6

Researcher Affiliations

Wasiński, Bernard
  • Department of Microbiology, National Veterinary Research Institute, Al. Partyzantow 57, 24-100 Pulawy, Poland.
Paschalis-Trela, Katarzyna
  • TRELA VETs Referrals, Warsaw, Solec 222, 05-532 Solec, Poland.
Trela, Jan
  • TRELA VETs Referrals, Warsaw, Solec 222, 05-532 Solec, Poland.
Czopowicz, Michał
  • Division of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland.
Kita, Jerzy
  • Division of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland.
Żychska, Monika
  • Division of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland.
Cywińska, Anna
  • Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Lwowska 1, 87-100 Torun, Poland.
Markowska-Daniel, Iwona
  • Division of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland.
Carter, Craig
  • Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Science, College of Agriculture, Food & Environment, College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, 1490 Bull Lea Rd, Lexington, KY 40511, USA.
Witkowski, Lucjan
  • Division of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland.

Grant Funding

  • decision No DEC-2011/03/B/NZ6/04682. / Narodowe Centrum Nauki
  • decision no. 9506/E-385/R/2018 / Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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