Leptospirosis

LEPTOSPIROSIS

  • This is a significant disease that is caused by multiple serovars of the leptospires. Affected animals whether it is wild in free ranging or captive status become highly dull and lethargic.
  • This disease has been documented in multiple species of wild animals, in general.

Species affected

  • Most of the wild animal species get affected like ruminants, ursids, proboscids, felids,canids, marsupials and monotremes, peccaries and suids, procyonids, rodents and lagomorphs, rodents, viverrids, insectivores, pinnipeds etc.
  • Outbreaks have been documented in case of non-human primates esp. the baboons and macaques. Rodents including mongooses act as carriers for this disease.

Mode of spread and significance

  • Spread is mainly by the contaminated urine sample by rodent-urine etc.
  • This disease is of zoonotic significance and affected human may reveal symptoms like myalgia, head ache, fever, sore throat, joint and neck pain, abdominal cramps etc.

Diagnosis and therapy

  • Serolgoical examination, culture, MAT, PCR finding of the organisms in the tissues etc.
  • Therapy consists of usage of compounds like streptomycin, penicillin, tetracyclines esp. doxycyclines etc.
Last modified: Friday, 27 April 2012, 9:27 AM