• DVM360_Conference_Charlotte,NC_banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Conference Coverage
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Managing Leptospirosis (Proceedings)

October 1, 2011
Helio Autran de Morais, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (internal medicine and cardiology)

Spirochete with more than 200 serovars. The pathogenic serovars do not replicate outside animal hosts.

Agent

  • Spirochete with more than 200 “serovars.” The pathogenic serovars do not replicate outside animal hosts

  • Leptospira interrogans

  • Serovars: autumnalis, bratislava, canicola, icterohaemorrhagiae, pomona

  • Leptospira kirshneri

  • Serovar: gryppotyphosa

  • Leptospira borgpetersenii

Advertisement
  • Serovar: hardjo

  • Specific serovars are “hosted-adapted” to certain reservoir species and generally do not cause disease in those hosts, e.g.:

  • L. interrogans bratislava                                              pigs, rats, small mammals

  • L. interrogans canicola                                                dogs

  • L. interrogans icterohaemorrhagiae                             rats

  • L. kirschneri grippotyphosa                                        voles, raccoons, small mammals

Epidemiology

  • Animals are critical to the maintenance of pathogenic leptospires in a given area.

  • Leptospires can persist in the renal tubules without causing disease, and can be excreted in the urine for prolonged periods of time.

  • Leptospires evade immune responses while sequestered in renal tubules.

  • Prevalence in dogs is increasing since 1983

  • Risk factors

  • Adult (4 – 7 years) intact male dogs

  • Herding, working dogs, and hounds

  • Enzootic worldwide

  • Tropical and semitropical areas

  • Alkaline soil

  • Leptospires can survive in moist environments for months, but are killed by freezing

  • Seasonality

  • Summer or fall

  • Rainy periods

Transmission

  • Leptospires are eliminated by urine and enter the body through abraded skin and intact mucous membranes

  • In dogs, leptospira concentrates in the liver and kidneys

  • Clinical signs – 7 days post-exposure

  • May clear the infection in 2 – 3 weeks

  • May develop chronic renal failure or chronic active hepatitis

  • In cats, infections are usually subclinical

  • Cats can shed leptospira in the environment

Clinical Signs

  • Many, if not most, Leptospira infections in dogs are subclinical

  • L. interrogans icterohaemorrhagiae: Hepatic disease and hemorrhage occur mostly with (may also have sub-acute uremia)

  • L. interrogans bratislava: Renal disease predominates with (liver changes also can be present)

  • L. interrogans pomona: Renal and liver disease mostly

  • L. kirschneri grippotyphosa: Renal and liver disease mostly

  • L. interrogans canicola: Mostly renal changes

  • Experimental infection

  • L. interrogans pomona and L. interrogans bratislava causes hemorrhagic and inflammatory lesions in lungs kidneys and liver.

 

  • Signs

  • Fever

  • Uveitis

  • Vomiting, diarrhea

  • Renal failure

  • Liver failure

  • Jaundice

  • Muscle pain

Laboratory Abnormalities

  • CBC

  • Leukopenia (acute)

  • Leukocytosis (subacute)

  • Thrombocytopenia

  • Renal failure

  • Increased BUN and creatinine

  • Cillindruria

  • Pyuria

  • Hematuria

  • Liver disease

  • Increased activity of ALT and Alkaline phosphatase

  • ALP is usually higher than ALT

  • Increased bilirubin

  • Interstitial lung disease

Diagnosis

  • Clinical Signs + Serology

  • Detection of antibodies

  • Antibodies from active infection, previous infection or vaccination

  • Active infection

  • MAT titer > 3200

  • 4 fold increase in titer over 2 – 4 weeks

  • Positive IgM ELISA

  • Titers can be negative in acute infection

  • Vaccine may induce antibodies against L. interrogans automnalis

  • Demonstration of the organism

  • Dark-field or phase-contrast microscopy in the urine

  • Intermittent shedding leads to false-negative

  • Culture

  • Before antibiotics

  • Place immediately in transport media

  • To the laboratory ASAP

  • Pre-treatment with furosemide may increase yield

  • PCR (urine)

  • Early positive

  • Very sensitive

  • May be positive for years after recovery

  • 8% of dogs (regardless of health status) shed pathogenic leptospir

  • Serology is a poor predictor of leptospiruria

  • 22% sensitivity, 79% specificity

Therapy

  • Fluid therapy

  • Maintain hydration

  • Preserve renal function

  • Antibiotics

  • Ampicillin or penicillin G

  • Initially IV

  • Doxycycline for 2 weeks after penicillin to eliminate the carrier phase

  • Decreases shedding, but may not eliminate it

Prevention

  • All serovars can potentially infect humans

  • Wear gloves

  • Vaccines

  • Can reduce severity of the disease but do not eliminate the carrier state

  • May not protect against all serovars

  • Not necessary in geographic areas with low/absent risk

  • The most reactogenic vaccines for the dog

  • The duration of immunity is short (£ 1 year). 

  • If risk of Leptospira disease is high

  • Vaccines need to be given much more often than they are currently given

  • 4-way lepto product

  • 12 weeks, 15 weeks, 6 months, 1 year

  • Then every 6 to 9 months if it remains at high risk

  • Relative efficacy

  • L. interrogans canicola: £ 75%

  • L. kirshnerii grippotyphosa: £ 60%

  • L. interrogans icterohaemorrhagiae: £ 90%

  • L. interrogans pomoma: £ 60%

Public health

  • Leptospirosis can occur as either sporadic cases or in epidemics

  • Infection occurs through mucosal contact with water or soil contaminated with the urine of infected animals

  • Risk occupations

  • Veterinarians, farmers and abattoir workers

  • Recreational activities in water

References

Adin CA & Cowgill LD. Treatment and outcome of dogs with leptsopirosis: 36 cases. JAVMA 216():371-5, 2000.

Bal AE et al. Detection of leptropires in urine by PCR for early diagnosis of leptospirosis. J Clin Microbiol 32(8):1894-8, 1994

Barr, S.C. et al. Serologic responses of dogs given a comme rcial vaccine against Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona and Leptospira kirschn eri serovar grippotyphosa. AJVR. 66:1780-1874. 2005

Birnbaum N et al. Naturally acquired leptospirosis in 36 dogs: serological and clinicopathological features. JSAP 39(5):231-6, 1998

Brown CA et al. Leptospira interrogans serovar grippotyphosa infection in dogs. JAVMA 209(7):1265-7, 1995. 

Forrest, L.J. et al. Sonographic renal finding s in 20 dog s with leptospirosis. Vet. Radiol. Ultrasound 39:337-340. 1998

Greenlee , J.J. et al. Clinical and pathologic comparison of acute leptospirosis in dogs caused by two strains of Leptospira kirschneri serovar grippotyphosa. AJVR. 65:1100-1107. 2004

Greenlee JJ. Experimental canine leptospirosis caused by Leptsopira interrogans serovars pomona or bratislava. AJVR 66(10):1816-22, 2005

Harkin KR & Gartrell CL. Canine leptospirosis in New Jersey and Michigan: 17 cases (1990-1995). JAAHA 32(6):495-501, 1996.

Harkin, K.R. et al. Clinical application of a polymerase chain reaction assay for diagnosis of leptospirosis in dogs. JAVMA. 222:1224-1229. 2003

Harkin, K.R. et al. Comparison of polymerase chain reaction assay, bacteriologic culture, and serologic testing in assessment of prevalence of urinary shedding of leptospires in dogs. JAVMA. 222:1230-1233. 2003

Levett, P.N. Leptospirosis. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 14:296-326. 2001

Syjes J. et al 2010 ACVIM Small Animal Consensus Statement on Leptospirosis: Diagnosis, Epidemiology, Treatment, and Prevention. J Vet Intern Med. 25:1-13, 2011.

Ward, M.P. et al. Evaluation of environmental risk factors for leptospirosis in dogs: 36 cases (1997-2002). JAVMA. 225:72-77. 2004

Ward, M.P. et al. Prevalence of and risk factors for leptospirosis among dogs in the United States and Canada: 677 cases (1970-1998). JAVMA. 220:53-58. 2002

Ward, M.P. et al. Serovar-specific prevalence and risk factors for leptospirosis among dogs: 90 cases (1997- 2002). J.VMA. 224:1958-1963. 2004

 

Related Content:

Medical
3 Must-reads for National Poison Prevention Week
3 Must-reads for National Poison Prevention Week
UC Davis study on eye diseases in kittens
UC Davis study on eye diseases in kittens
Dr Natalie Marks to lecture on diabetes management with Dr Adam Christman
Dr Natalie Marks to lecture on diabetes management with Dr Adam Christman

Advertisement

Latest News

CE: Why tapeworms matter

Freshpet and Petco partner launch fresh pet food subscription

AAHA Con heads to San Diego

VHMA announces latest class of CVPMs

View More Latest News
Advertisement