Seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. in Colorado equids and association with clinical disease.
Abstract: Detection of is difficult as a result of intermittent leptospiruria and brief leptospiremia. Hence, diagnosis relies heavily on serologic testing, the reference method of which is the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). In horses, clinical leptospirosis has been associated with abortion, recurrent uveitis, and sporadic cases of hepatic and renal disease. Little information exists on the seroprevalence of antibodies to in equids in the United States; past nationwide studies suggest that the seroprevalence in some areas is as high as 77% (reciprocal titer ≥ 100). We tested sera from 124 apparently healthy horses previously submitted for equine infectious anemia (EIA) serology using MAT for 6 serovars-Bratislava, Canicola, Grippotyphosa, Hardjo, Icterohaemorrhagiae, and Pomona. When using a reciprocal MAT titer cutoff of ≥ 100, 102 of 124 (82%) of the samples were positive for at least one serovar. Seropositivity was significantly associated with increasing age. Query of specimens from clinical cases submitted to the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for MAT since 2010 indicated significantly greater seroprevalence ( = 0.015) of pathogenic serovar Pomona in clinical cases compared to sera submitted from healthy equids for routine EIA testing. Information from our diagnostic laboratory submission forms also suggests a correlation between uveitis or other ophthalmic problems and serovar Pomona.
Publication Date: 2020-07-25 PubMed ID: 32715980PubMed Central: PMC7488961DOI: 10.1177/1040638720943155Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Age Factors
- Antibodies
- Clinical Pathology
- Diagnosis
- Disease
- Disease Diagnosis
- Equids
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Equine Infectious Anemia
- Infectious Disease
- Laboratory Methods
- Leptospira
- Microscopic Agglutination Test
- Pathogens
- Serological Surveys
- Seroprevalence
- Serotypes
- Uveitis
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
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 is a study into the prevalence of a bacteria, Leptospira spp., in horses in Colorado and its association with clinical diseases including abortion, recurrent uveitis, and sporadic cases of hepatic and renal disease. This study uses a specific test, microscopic agglutination test (MAT), to diagnose the bacteria due to its brief and intermittent presence.
Study Objectives
- The primary purpose of the study was to analyze and understand the prevalence of antibodies of Leptospira spp. in horses in the United States.
- The researchers aimed at studying the association of the bacteria with diseases like abortion, uveitis, hepatic and renal disease in horses.
Methods and Execution
- The researchers utilized sera from 124 healthy horses that were previously submitted for equine infectious anemia (EIA) using microscopic agglutination testing (MAT).
- Six different versions, or serovars, of the Leptospira bacteria were tested: Bratislava, Canicola, Grippotyphosa, Hardjo, Icterohaemorrhagiae, and Pomona.
Results and Interpretation
- 82% of the samples were positive for at least one serovar of Leptospira when a MAT titer cutoff point of 100 was used, which is considered a high seroprevalence.
- Older horses showed a statistically significant association with seropositivity, which implies aging is a risk factor for contracting the bacteria.
- Review of clinical cases from the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory showed a greater prevalence of pathogenic serovar Pomona in clinical cases compared to healthy horses. This difference was statistically significant, indicating that serum from healthy horses has less prevalence of pathogenic Pomona as opposed to serum from clinically ill horses.
- The data collected from the laboratory submission forms also indicates a correlation between uveitis (an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye) or other ophthalmic problems and serovar Pomona.
Impact of the Research
- This research provides valuable insight into the prevalence of Leptospira spp. in horses, especially in the United States, where this information was scarce.
- Knowledge about serovar Pomona’s association with clinical problems will help to guide future research, diagnosis and treatment strategies, particularly for uveitis or other eye-related issues in horses.
- The association of the bacteria with older age horses is an essential finding, and preventive measures could be implemented to reduce the prevalence in this demographic group.
Cite This Article
APA
Fagre AC, Mayo CE, Pabilonia KL, Landolt GA.
(2020).
Seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. in Colorado equids and association with clinical disease.
J Vet Diagn Invest, 32(5), 718-721.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1040638720943155 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Departments of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology (Fagre, Mayo, Pabilonia) and Clinical Sciences (Landolt), College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
- Departments of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology (Fagre, Mayo, Pabilonia) and Clinical Sciences (Landolt), College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
- Departments of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology (Fagre, Mayo, Pabilonia) and Clinical Sciences (Landolt), College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
- Departments of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology (Fagre, Mayo, Pabilonia) and Clinical Sciences (Landolt), College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
MeSH Terms
- Age Factors
- Animals
- Antibodies, Bacterial / blood
- Colorado / epidemiology
- Female
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Leptospira
- Leptospirosis / epidemiology
- Leptospirosis / microbiology
- Leptospirosis / veterinary
- Male
- Prevalence
- Seroepidemiologic Studies
- Serogroup
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
References
This article includes 21 references
- Båverud V, Gunnarsson A, Engvall EO, Franzén P, Egenvall A. Leptospira seroprevalence and associations between seropositivity, clinical disease and host factors in horses.. Acta Vet Scand 2009 Mar 30;51(1):15.
- Boonsilp S, Thaipadungpanit J, Amornchai P, Wuthiekanun V, Chierakul W, Limmathurotsakul D, Day NP, Peacock SJ. Molecular detection and speciation of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in blood from patients with culture-negative leptospirosis.. BMC Infect Dis 2011 Dec 13;11:338.
- Brown PD, Gravekamp C, Carrington DG, van de Kemp H, Hartskeerl RA, Edwards CN, Everard CO, Terpstra WJ, Levett PN. Evaluation of the polymerase chain reaction for early diagnosis of leptospirosis.. J Med Microbiol 1995 Aug;43(2):110-4.
- Carter CN. Seroepidemiology of equine leptospirosis utilizing diagnostic laboratory specimens from 29 states (US) and one Canadian province.. Proc Am Assoc Vet Lab Diagn, Ann Meeting Oct 2012; San Diego, CA.
- Cumberland P, Everard CO, Levett PN. Assessment of the efficacy of an IgM-elisa and microscopic agglutination test (MAT) in the diagnosis of acute leptospirosis.. Am J Trop Med Hyg 1999 Nov;61(5):731-4.
- Delph K. Haemolytic anaemia and bilateral uveitis associated with leptospirosis in a 6-year-old Quarter Horse gelding.. Equine Vet Educ 2018;30:132–136.
- Divers TJ, Chang YF, Irby NL, Smith JL, Carter CN. Leptospirosis: An important infectious disease in North American horses.. Equine Vet J 2019 May;51(3):287-292.
- Donahue JM, Smith BJ, Redmon KJ, Donahue JK. Diagnosis and prevalence of leptospira infection in aborted and stillborn horses.. J Vet Diagn Invest 1991 Apr;3(2):148-51.
- Erol E, Jackson CB, Steinman M, Meares K, Donahoe J, Kelly N, Locke S, Smith JL, Carter CN. A diagnostic evaluation of real-time PCR, fluorescent antibody and microscopic agglutination tests in cases of equine leptospiral abortion.. Equine Vet J 2015 Mar;47(2):171-4.
- Fish NA, Ryu E, Hulland TJ. Bacteriological and Pathological Studies of Natural and Experimental Swine Abortion Due to Leptospira Pomona.. Can Vet J 1963 Dec;4(12):317-27.
- Gerding JC, Gilger BC. Prognosis and impact of equine recurrent uveitis.. Equine Vet J 2016 May;48(3):290-8.
- Haake DA, Dundoo M, Cader R, Kubak BM, Hartskeerl RA, Sejvar JJ, Ashford DA. Leptospirosis, water sports, and chemoprophylaxis.. Clin Infect Dis 2002 May 1;34(9):e40-3.
- Hartskeerl RA, Goris MG, Brem S, Meyer P, Kopp H, Gerhards H, Wollanke B. Classification of leptospira from the eyes of horses suffering from recurrent uveitis.. J Vet Med B Infect Dis Vet Public Health 2004 Apr;51(3):110-5.
- Jansen A, Schöneberg I, Frank C, Alpers K, Schneider T, Stark K. Leptospirosis in Germany, 1962-2003.. Emerg Infect Dis 2005 Jul;11(7):1048-54.
- Kitson-Piggot AW, Prescott JF. Leptospirosis in horses in Ontario.. Can J Vet Res 1987 Oct;51(4):448-51.
- Martin LE, Wiggans KT, Wennogle SA, Curtis K, Chandrashekar R, Lappin MR. Vaccine-associated Leptospira antibodies in client-owned dogs.. J Vet Intern Med 2014 May-Jun;28(3):789-92.
- Mwachui MA, Crump L, Hartskeerl R, Zinsstag J, Hattendorf J. Environmental and Behavioural Determinants of Leptospirosis Transmission: A Systematic Review.. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015;9(9):e0003843.
- Park YG. Factors for seropositivity to leptospirosis in horses.. Prev Vet Med 1992;13:121–127.
- Sykes JE, Hartmann K, Lunn KF, Moore GE, Stoddard RA, Goldstein RE. 2010 ACVIM small animal consensus statement on leptospirosis: diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment, and prevention.. J Vet Intern Med 2011 Jan-Feb;25(1):1-13.
- Trimble AC, Blevins CA, Beard LA, Deforno AR, Davis EG. Seroprevalence, frequency of leptospiuria, and associated risk factors in horses in Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska from 2016-2017.. PLoS One 2018;13(10):e0206639.
- Yan W, Faisal SM, Divers T, McDonough SP, Akey B, Chang YF. Experimental Leptospira interrogans serovar Kennewicki infection of horses.. J Vet Intern Med 2010 Jul-Aug;24(4):912-7.
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- Ramin A, Abdollahpour G, Hosseinzadeh A, Azizzadeh F, Ramin P, Klalili Y, Sanajo D, Iran Nezhad S. Comparison of anti-Leptospira antibodies by microscopic agglutination test in ruminants and equines of Urmia, Iran. Vet Res Forum 2023;14(4):229-235.
- Bolwell C, Gee E, Adams B, Collins-Emerson J, Scarfe K, Nisa S, Gordon E, Rogers C, Benschop J. Longitudinal Testing of Leptospira Antibodies in Horses Located near a Leptospirosis Outbreak in Alpacas. Vet Sci 2022 Aug 12;9(8).
- Wollanke B, Gerhards H, Ackermann K. Infectious Uveitis in Horses and New Insights in Its Leptospiral Biofilm-Related Pathogenesis. Microorganisms 2022 Feb 7;10(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).
- Wasiński B, Paschalis-Trela K, Trela J, Czopowicz M, Kita J, Żychska M, Cywińska A, Markowska-Daniel I, Carter C, Witkowski L. Serological Survey of Leptospira Infection in Arabian Horses in Poland. Pathogens 2021 Jun 1;10(6).
- Bolwell CF, Rogers CW, Benschop J, Collins-Emerson JM, Adams B, Scarfe KR, Gee EK. Seroprevalence of Leptospira in Racehorses and Broodmares in New Zealand. Animals (Basel) 2020 Oct 23;10(11).
- McCreight KA, Barbosa LN, Odoi A, Reed P, Rajeev S. Leptospira seroprevalence in dogs, cats, and horses in Tennessee, USA. J Vet Diagn Invest 2025 Jan;37(1):119-125.
- Ramsay L, Eberhardt C, Schoster A. Acute leptospirosis in horses: A retrospective study of 11 cases (2015-2023). J Vet Intern Med 2024 Sep-Oct;38(5):2729-2738.
- Hamond C, Adam EN, Stone NE, LeCount K, Anderson T, Putz EJ, Camp P, Hicks J, Stuber T, van der Linden H, Bayles DO, Sahl JW, Schlater LK, Wagner DM, Nally JE. Identification of equine mares as reservoir hosts for pathogenic species of Leptospira. Front Vet Sci 2024;11:1346713.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
