Agglutinins to Leptospira spp. in equines slaughtered in the southern region of Brazil

The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies in serum samples of horses slaughtered in an abattoir, under the Brazilian federal food inspection service, in the southern region of Brazil. We tested 767 blood samples from adult horses slaughtered from April to May, 2013. The animals came from 45 municipalities in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and Parana. For the diagnosis we used the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). The results showed that 687 horses reacted to at least one of the 24 serovars of Leptospira spp., with titer equal to or greater than 100, representing 89.57% (95% CI: 87.41%-91.73%). The most likely serovars were Patoc (9.91%), Butembo (9.13%), Australis (7.82%), and Bratislava (5.87%). There was no significant difference (p = 0.2795) in the number of positive animals by state. The proportion of MAT-positive males and females differed significantly (p = 5.4444 x 10(-5)) since 85.26% (95% CI: 82.82%-88.70%) of the males and 94.44 (95% CI: 92.07%-96.81%) of the females were reactive. The results of this study demonstrate a high rate exposure to several serovars of Leptospira in slaughtered horses. For the protection of animal, public, and occupational health, we suggest attention to infections in this host in order to reduce the risk of leptospirosis.