Leptospires in pig urogenital tracts and fetuses

Wa, Ellis; McParland, PJ; Bryson, DG; McNulty, M. S.

doi:10.1136/vr.117.3.66

Cited by 23 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…Infection with Leptospira interrogans serovars Bratislava and Australis are an important cause of porcine reproductive failure in Europe [17][18][19][20]. Infection with L. interrogans serovar Hardjö may suggest contamination of lake water by cattle [3,21].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outbreak of leptospirosis among triathlon participants in Langau, Austria, 2010

Radl

Müller

Revilla‐Fernández

et al. 2011

Wien Klin Wochenschr

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We report on the first documented outbreak of leptospirosis in Austria. In July 2010, four cases of serologically confirmed leptospirosis occurred in athletes after a triathlon held in Langau. Heavy rains preceded the triathlon (rainfall: 22 mm). The index case (Patient A) was a 41-year-old previously healthy male, who was admitted to hospital A on July 8 with a four-day history of fever up to 40°C that began 14 days after attending the triathlon event. On July 7, patient B, a 42-year-old male, was admitted to the same hospital, with signs and symptoms of kidney failure. Hemodialysis was performed every other day for 3 weeks. While the serum drawn on the day of admission was negative for antibodies against Leptospira, a specimen from July 28 tested positive with Leptospira interrogans. On July 11, patient C, a 40-year-old male, was admitted to hospital B for nephritis. On July 14, patient D, a 44-year-old male, was admitted to hospital C with a ten days history of intermittent fever, mild dry cough and headache. Our report underlines that in Austria recreational users of bodies of freshwater must be aware of an existing risk of contracting leptospirosis, particularly after heavy rains. The suppressive influence of a triathlon on the immune system is well documented and therefore an outbreak in this population group can be seen as a sensitive indicator concerning possible risk for the general population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outbreak of leptospirosis among triathlon participants in Langau, Austria, 2010

Radl

Müller

Revilla‐Fernández

et al. 2011

Wien Klin Wochenschr

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“…Direct transmission among animals can be transplacental, haematogenous, by sexual contact or by suckling milk from infected mother. Presence of leptospires in genital tracts as well as transplacental transmission has been demonstrated in animals (Ellis et al 1978(Ellis et al , 1985(Ellis et al , 1986. Direct transmission from animals to human beings is common amongst the occupational groups who handle animals and animal tissue such as butchers, veterinarians, cattle and pig farmers, rodent control workers etc.…”

Section: Transmission Dynamics -Direct and Indirect Modes Of Transmismentioning

confidence: 99%

Leptospirosis: an emerging global public health problem

2008

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Leptospirosis has been recognized as an emerging global public health problem because of its increasing incidence in both developing and developed countries.A number of leptospirosis outbreaks have occurred in the past few years in various places such as Nicaragua, Brazil and India.Some of these resulted due to natural calamities such as cyclone and floods. It is a direct zoonotic disease caused by spirochetes belonging to different pathogenic species of the genus Leptospira. Large number of animals acts as carriers or vectors.Human infection results from accidental contact with carrier animals or environment contaminated with leptospires. The primary source of leptospires is the excretor animal, from whose renal tubules leptospires are excreted into the environment with the animal urine. Majority of leptospiral infections are either sub clinical or result in very mild illness and recover without any complications.However,a small proportion develops various complications due to involvement of multiple organ systems. In such patients, the clinical presentation depends upon the predominant organs involved and the case fatality ratio could be about 40% or more. Febrile illness with icterus, splenomegaly and nephritis (known as Weil's disease), acute febrile illness with severe muscle pain,febrile illness with pulmonary haemorrhages in the form of haemoptysis, jaundice with pulmonary haemorrhages, jaundice with heamaturea, meningitis with haemorrhages including sub conjunctival haemorrhage or febrile illness with cardiac arrhythmias with or without haemorrhages are some of the syndromes. Because of the protean manifestations of leptospirosis it is often misdiagnosed and under-reported. Although the basic principles of prevention such as source reduction,environmental sanitation, more hygienic work-related and personal practices etc., are same everywhere, there is no universal control method applicable to all epidemiological settings. Comprehensive understanding of the eco-epidemiological and cultural characteristics of a community that faces the problem of leptospirosis is an essential prerequisite for evolving an effective and acceptable control measure.

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“…Ellis et al (5) isolated the serovar Bratislava from aborted fetuses urogenital tract of naturally infected sows. In experimental infections, Fennestad and Borg-Petersen (8) isolated leptospires from stillbirths and weak piglets.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Guida et al The pathogenesis of the reproductive disease is poorly understood, but some authors believe that transplacental infection, occurring during a very limited period of maternal leptospiremia, is the sole cause (4). The isolation of leptospires from aborted fetuses, stillbirths and weak piglets was obtained in several occasions (5,8,27), however, the bacteria was never detected in apparently healthy piglets born from apparently healthy infected dams. Although organisms belonging to the Canicola serogroup have been recovered from swine in several countries (4), little is known on the epidemiology of serovar Canicola infection in pigs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of leptospires in clinically healthy piglets born from sows experimentally infected with Leptospira interrogans serovar Canicola

Soto¹,

Azevêdo²,

Morais³

et al. 2006

Braz. J. Microbiol.

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Leptospirosis is an important zoonosis that causes reproductive disorders in swine. The isolation of leptospires from aborted fetuses, stillbirths and weak piglets was obtained in several occasions, however, the bacteria was never isolated from apparently healthy piglets born from apparently healthy infected dams. Six sows of the Landrace breed with a known date of service and pregnancy confirmed by ultrasonography were infected intravenously with 5 ml of Leptospira interrogans serovar Canicola inoculum between 76 and 90 days of gestation, and one week after farrowing, at least one piglet per sow was euthanized and samples of liver, kidneys, lungs, heart, spleen and gastric content were taken and examined by PCR. Reproductive disorders or any clinical sign of infection were not observed in the inoculated sows. The piglets born from these animals presented no clinical signs or macroscopic lesions that could be attributed to leptospirosis. All inoculated sows presented anti-leptospires antibodies by microscopic serum-agglutination test (MAT) in the postinoculation serum samples and leptospires were not found in the urine as well as were not detected by PCR applied in this material, however, PCR accomplished in kidneys and liver from a euthanized sow presented positive results. Of the total of 12 euthanized piglets, 10 (83.3%) presented positive results by PCR in at least one of the kidney, liver, heart, spleen, lung and gastric content samples. The present study reports the vertical transmission of the infection and the detection of leptospires in clinically healthy piglets born from experimentally infected sows, which is important of the epidemiological point of view as the maintenance of clinically healthy infected animals may allow the persistence of the bacteria in the herd, exposing other animals to the risk of infection.

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Leptospires in pig urogenital tracts and fetuses

Cited by 23 publications

References 0 publications

Outbreak of leptospirosis among triathlon participants in Langau, Austria, 2010

Outbreak of leptospirosis among triathlon participants in Langau, Austria, 2010

Leptospirosis: an emerging global public health problem

Detection of leptospires in clinically healthy piglets born from sows experimentally infected with Leptospira interrogans serovar Canicola

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