Prevalence of Antibodies to Different Leptospira interrogans Serovars in Pigs on Large Farms

Summary A seroepidemiological survey was carried out in the province of Badajoz (south-western Spain) in order to determine the presence and spread of Leptospira interrogans. The 521 sera tested were drawn from breeding sows on 28 large farms (15 with fewer than 60 and 13 with over 60 breeders). Immunological testing was performed using the Martin-Pettit micro-agglutination technique. Pigs with titres equal to or greater than 1:100 were considered positive. Haemolysed and/or contaminated test sera were reprocessed following filter-paper treatment. A total of 10.56 % of pigs tested proved positive, 39.28 % of farms being affected. The following L. interrogans serovars were detected: pomona (6.53 %), castellonis (1.15 %), sejroe (1.15 %), grippotyphosa (0.96 %), australis (0.38 %), hebdomadis (0.19 %) and icterohaemorrhagiae (0.19 %).