[Seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. in draft horses from indigenous communities in the Araucanía Region, Chile].

This study reveals the presence of the bacteria Leptospira spp. in 35% of the draft horses sampled from indigenous communities in the Araucanía Region, Chile. The research indicates a potential risk to horse-owners due to the transmission possibility of the disease.

Research Context

• The research focus is on the Araucanía Region in Chile, where no previous studies have examined the seroprevalence of leptospirosis in horses.
• The entities under study were draft horses belonging to the local Mapuche communities across four separate communes within the region.

Methodology

• In order to gather data, serological samples from 100 draft horses were collected and analyzed.
• The technique used to conduct these analyses was the microMAT technique, a specific scientific procedure to detect the presence of specific bacteria in the blood.

Findings

• Through the analysis, it was deduced that 35% of the horses had been exposed to at least one serovar of the bacteria Leptospira spp.
• The most common strains of the bacteria serovars found were canicola (22%), grippotyphosa (21%), hardjo (13%), and pomona (10%).

Implications

• The results from the study demonstrate that the equine populations in these indigenous communities are vulnerable to infection by Leptospira spp.
• By extension, this exposes a possible health risk to the owners of these horses due to the bacteria’s potential for transmission between animals and humans.