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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Seroprevalence of Leptospira in Racehorses and Broodmares in...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2020; 10(11); 1952; doi: 10.3390/ani10111952

Seroprevalence of Leptospira in Racehorses and Broodmares in New Zealand.

Abstract: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of in a cohort of horses and to evaluate potential risk factors for seropositivity in horses in New Zealand. The convenience sample included 499 Thoroughbred racing and breeding horses from 25 commercial properties in North Island, New Zealand. A questionnaire was used to collect demographic data on horses and property-level information on grazing and management practices, pest (rodent) management, access to natural waterways, other livestock on the property, and possible contact with wildlife. The microscopic agglutination test was used to test sera for serovars Ballum, Copenhageni, Hardjo (bovis), Pomona, and Tarassovi. Logistic regression was used to investigate the risk factors for seropositivity to at least one serovar and for each serovar individually. A total of 124 (25%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 21-29%) horses had positive titres to any one of the five serovars. The seroprevalence of Ballum, Copenhageni, Hardjo (bovis), Pomona, and Tarassovi was 5% (95% CI 3-7%), 9% (95% CI 7-12%), 6% (95% CI 4-8%), 6% (95% CI 4-8%), and 6% (95% CI 4-8%), respectively. Broodmares, compared to racehorses and alternately grazing horses with sheep, increased the odds of exposure to any one serovar, whilst grazing the same time as sheep and alternately grazing horses with cattle increased the odds of exposure to Ballum and Hardjo (bovis), respectively. Historical exposure to in racing and breeding horses was identified, and risk factors were consistent with pasture-based exposure.
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Publication Date: 2020-10-23 PubMed ID: 33114082PubMed Central: PMC7690811DOI: 10.3390/ani10111952Google 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.

This research study conducted a survey on a group of horses in New Zealand to determine the prevalence of the bacteria Leptospira, and the potential factors that could cause a horse to test positive for the bacteria.

Research Methodology

  • The study used a convenience sample, a type of non-probability sampling where the subjects are chosen due to their convenient accessibility and proximity, of 499 Thoroughbred racehorses and breeding horses.
  • These horses came from 25 different commercial properties in North Island, New Zealand.
  • A questionnaire was developed to gather data on the horses and the properties they were on. This included demographic data of the horses, information on grazing and management practices on the property, pest management, access to natural waterways, presence of other livestock on the property, and potential interactions with wildlife.

Testing Conditions and Results

  • Blood samples were tested for five different types or serovars of Leptospira: Ballum, Copenhageni, Hardjo (bovis), Pomona, and Tarassovi using the microscopic agglutination test.
  • Logistic regression, a type of statistical analysis that is used to predict the outcome of a categorical dependent variable based on one or more predictor variables, was used to identify potential risk factors for testing positive for Leptospira.
  • Out of all the horses tested, 25% had positive results for at least one of the serovars. The specific seroprevalences for Ballum, Copenhageni, Hardjo (bovis), Pomona, and Tarassovi were 5%, 9%, 6%, 6%, and 6% respectively.

Identification of Risk Factors

  • Based on the statistical analysis, the study found that broodmares (female horses used for breeding) were more likely to be exposed to any of the five serovars compared to racehorses and horses that were alternately grazed with sheep.
  • Horses that grazed at the same time as sheep and horses that were alternately grazed with cattle had increased probability of exposure to the serovars Ballum and Hardjo (bovis), respectively.
  • In conclusion, the study was able to identify historical exposure to Leptospira in both racing and breeding horses, and the identified risk factors were typically associated with pasture-based exposure.

Cite This Article

APA
Bolwell CF, Rogers CW, Benschop J, Collins-Emerson JM, Adams B, Scarfe KR, Gee EK. (2020). Seroprevalence of Leptospira in Racehorses and Broodmares in New Zealand. Animals (Basel), 10(11), 1952. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10111952

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 11
PII: 1952

Researcher Affiliations

Bolwell, Charlotte F
  • School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Rogers, Chris W
  • School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
  • School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Benschop, Jackie
  • School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Collins-Emerson, Julie M
  • School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Adams, Brooke
  • School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Scarfe, Katherine R
  • IDEXX Laboratories (NZ) ULC, School of Veterinary Science Complex, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Gee, Erica K
  • School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.

Grant Funding

  • 6/2016 / New Zealand Equine Research Foundation
  • 1/2017 / New Zealand Equine Research Foundation
  • None / Massey University Research Fund

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 7 times.
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  2. Geiger T, Gerhards H, Wollanke B. Detection of Anti-LipL32 Antibodies in Serum Samples from Horses with Chronic Intraocular Infection with Leptospira spp. Pathogens 2021 Oct 14;10(10).
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