SEROEPIDEMIOLOGICAL SURVEY FOR CANINE LEPTOSPIROSIS IN THE COAST OF SÃO PAULO STATE, BRAZIL

Leptospirosis is a worldwide anthropozoonosis, mainly distributed in coastal and tropical regions, and caused by the bacterium Leptospira spp. In urban areas, synanthropic rodents are the main transmitters to humans and other animals through the urine. Dogs can participate as domestic reservoirs to the human infection due to the renal persistence and elimination of the bacterium through the urine. Thus, the present study aimed to determine the presence of antibodies to Leptospira spp. in serum samples from dogs in Ubatuba municipality, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Associations between the serological results and epidemiological variables such as breed, age, sex, access to the street, access to untreated water, previous vaccination against leptospirosis, and presence of rodents, were assessed. Leptopira spp. antibodies were detected in 30/205 (14.6%) serum samples, and the prevalent serovars were Pyrogenes (30%), Autumnalis (23.3%), and Canicola (20%). No coagglutination was observed, as well as no significant association was observed between the studied epidemiological variables and the serology (p-value > 0.05). Thus, leptospirosis is active and circulating the studied city, which has high rainfall index; however, factors like access of dogs to the street, accumulated water and presence of rodents did not presente the expected importance. Further studies should be conducted in the studied region focusing the detection of antibodies in stray dogs, which are more exposed to the bacterium in coastal and tropical areas, as well as live close to the production and herbivorous animals.