Presence of antibodies against Leptospira interrogans (sensu lato) in semi-domestic dogs in Sincelejo, Sucre (Colombia).

Leptospirosis is a reemerging zoonosis of worldwide distribution caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. This disease has been classified as an occupational disease and its presentation is related to a series of epidemiological factors which highlight the presence of carrier animals (rodents, dogs) and water quality, among others. The objective of this work was to determine the seroprevalence of antibodies against L. interrogans (sensu lato) in domestic dogs of the urban area in Sincelejo, Sucre. Using a non-probabilistic convenience design, three communes were selected with the greatest number of canines. Blood samples of 61 identified dogs were taken, and serum was obtained later and the microagglutination test (MAT) was implemented with 11 serogroups and 14 serovars. The seroprevalence of antibodies against L. interrogans (sensu lato) was 54.10%. A 9.84% of the dogs have low titers, 8.19% moderate titers, 13.11% high titers and 22.95% very high titers. No significant differences between seroreactivity are shown when compared by sex, age and breed. The Grippothyphosa serovar presented the greatest frequency (47.54%) followed by Canicola serovar (26.23%) and Pomona serovar (18.03%). These findings suggest that these semi-domestic dogs evaluated have shown asymptomatic infections with different serovars of L. interrogans (sensu lato) becoming hosts and kidney carriers thus constituting a potential risk to public health.