A serological survey on Leptospiral infection in squirrels and hamsters in Ahvaz district, SouthWest of Iran

Document Type : Research Articles

Authors

1 Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz

2 Tehran University

Abstract

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic infectious disease of worldwide distribution. The infection is caused by various serovars of Leptospira interrogans sensu lato. Although the squirrels and hamsters are considered to be the reservoir or maintenance host of Leptospira, but little is known about the status of leptospirosis in these animals. This survey was conducted to evaluate the seroprevalence of Leptospiral infection in squirrels and hamsters in Ahvaz district, SouthWest of Iran. Blood samples were taken from 35 squirrels and 35 hamsters. Sera were screened for antibodies against serovars of L. canicola, L. icterohaemorrhagiae, L. grippotyphosa, L. ballum, L. hardjo, L. pomona, L. australis and L. tarassovi using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). From a total of 35 squirrels, three cases (8.57%) were serologically positive for the serovars of L. grippotyphosa (2.86%), L. pomona (2.86%) and complex of L. hardjo + L.
canicola + L. grippotyphosa + L. pomona (2.86%). Positive results were detectable at serum dilutions of 1:100 to 1:400. Seroprevalence did not show a significant difference for age and sex in the studied squirrel (p > 0.05). From a total of 35 hamsters, six cases (17.14%) were serologically positive. The predominant titers were directed against serovars of L. grippotyphosa (5.71%), L. grippotyphosa + L. pomona (2.86%), L. pomona (2.86%), L. icterohaemorrhagiae (2.86%) and L. canicola (2.86%). The positive results had 1:100 serum dilutions. Prevalence was significantly higher in adult hamsters above one year compared to hamsters less than one year (p < 0.05). The seroprevalence was more in male hamsters (23.53%) than females (11.11%), but the statistical analysis did not show a significant difference (p > 0.05). This survey indicated that serovars of L. grippotyphosa and L. pomona were predominant. The results provide useful information on the seroprevalence of leptospirosis in squirrels and hamsters of Ahvaz district.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Alavi, L., Alavi, S.M. and Khoshkhoo, M.M. (2014) Risk factors of leptospirosis in Khuzestan, South West of Iran. International Journal of Enteric Pathogens 1, 68-71.
Cosson, J.F., Picardeau, M., Mielcarek, M., Tatard, C., Chaval, Y., Suputtamongkol, Y., Buchy, P., Jittapalapong, S., Herbreteau, V. and Morand, S. (2014) Epidemiology of Leptospira transmitted by rodents in Southeast Asia. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 8, e2902.
Dirsmith, K., Van Dalen, K., Fry, T., Charles, B., Ver Cauteren, K. and Duncan, C. (2013) Leptospirosis in fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) of Larimer County, Colorado, USA. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 49, 641-645.
Esfandiari, B., Pourshafie, M.R., Gouya, M.M., Khaki, P., Mostafavi, E., Darvish, J., Bidhendi, S.M., Hanifi, H. and Nahrevanian, H. (2015) An epidemiological comparative study on diagnosis of rodent leptospirosis in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. Epidemiology and Health 23, 37, e2015012.
Greene, C.E., Sykes, J.E., Moore, G.E., Goldstein, R.E. and Schultz, R.D. (2012) Leptospirosis. In: Greene CE (Eds.). Infectious diseases of the dog and cat. Saunders Elsevier, Philadelphia, pp. 431-446.
Haake, D.A. (2006) Hamster model of leptospirosis. Current Protocols in Microbiology 12, 1-13.
Haake, D.A. and Levett, P.N. (2015) Leptospirosis in humans. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology 387, 65-97.
Hajikolaei, M.R., Ghorbanpour Najafabadi, M. and Abdollahpour, G.R. (2005) Serological study of leptospirosis in cattle in Ahvaz. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Tehran 60, 7-14.
Hajikolaei, M.R., Ghorbanpour Najafabadi, M., Keshavarzi-Yangabadi, M. and Abdollahpour, G.R. (2007) Seroprevalence of Leptospiral infection in goats of Ahvaz. Journal of Veterinary Research 62, 93-96.
Hudson, A. and Romagnano, A. (2010) Mice, Rats, Gerbils, and Hamsters. In: Ballard, B., Cheek, R. (Eds.), Exotic Animal Medicine for the Veterinary Technician. Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 293-309.
Levett, P.N. (2004) Leptospirosis: A forgotten zoonosis? Clinical and Applied Immunology Reviews 4, 435-448.
Marinho, M., Oliveira-Junior, I.S., Monteiro, C.M., Perri, S.H. and Salomao, R. (2009) Pulmonary disease in hamsters infected with Leptospira interrogans: histopathologic findings and cytokine mRNA expressions. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 80, 832-836.
Masuzawa, T., Okamoto, Y., Une, Y., Takeuchi, T., Tsukagoshi, K., Koizumi, N., Kawabata, H., Ohta, S. and Yoshikawa, Y. (2006) Leptospirosis in squirrels imported from United States to Japan. Emergence of Infectious Diseases 12, 1153-1155.
Matsui, M., Roche, L., Soupe-Gilbert, M.E., Roudier, M., Moniquet, V. and Goarant, C. (2015) Experimental Hamster Infection with a Strain of Leptospira borgpetersenii ballum isolated from a Reservoir Mouse in New Caledonia. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 92, 982-985.
Matthias, M.A. and Levett, P.N. (2002). Leptospiral carriage by mice and mongooses on the island of Barbados. West Indian Medical Journal 51, 10-13.
Mayer-Scholl, A., Hammerl, J.A. and Schmidt, S. (2014) Leptospira spp. in rodents and shrews in Germany. International Journal of Environmental Research Public Health 11, 7562-7574.
Mosallanejad, B., Ghorbanpour, M., Avizeh, R. and Abdollahpour, G.R. (2013) A Serological Survey on Leptospiral Infection among Wild Rats (Rattus rattus) of Ahvaz District, Southwest of Iran: A Preliminary Study. Jundishapur Journal of Microbiology 6, 1-4.
Mosallanejad, B., Ghorbanpour Najafabadi, M., Avizeh, R. and Abdollahpour, G.R. (2015) A serological survey on Leptospiral infection in companion rabbits referred to Veterinary Hospital of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. Archives of Razi Institute 70, 127-133.
Mosallanejad, B., Ghorbanpour Najafabadi, M., Avizeh, R., Abdollahpour, G.R. and Abadi, K. (2011) A serological survey of Leptospiral infection of cats in Ahvaz, southwestern of Iran. International Journal of Veterinary Research 5, 49-52.
Talebkhan Garoussi, M., Vand-e-Useefee, J. and Mehrzad, J. (2006) Seroprevalence of Leptospiral Infection in rodents of dairy cattle herds complexes in suburb of Mashhad - Iran. Journal of Applied Animal Research 30, 109-111.
Tilley, L.P. and Smith, F.W.K. (2000) The 5-minutue veterinary consult, Canine and Feline. Second ed. Lipincott Williams and Wilkins, pp. 368-412.
Vitale, M., Di Bella, C., Agnello, S., Curro, V., Vicari, D. and Vitale, F. (2007) Leptospira interrogans survey by PCR in wild rodents coming from different urban areas of Palermo, Italy. Revista Cubana de Medicina Tropical 59, 59-60.
Wang, C. and He, H. (2013) Leptospira spp. in commensal rodents, Beijing, China. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 49, 461-463.
Send comment about this article
CAPTCHA Image

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 30 May 2016
  • Accept Date: 30 May 2016

Share

How to cite

Statistics