Laboratory Animals > Volume 29, Number 3 > Pp. 300-306

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Leptospira interrogans serovar sejroe infection in a group of laboratory dogs

E. Scanziani, L. Crippa, Anna M. Giusti, M. Luini, Maria L. Pacciarini, Silvia Tagliabue and E. Cavalletti

Istituto di Anatomia Patologica Veterinaria e Patologia Aviare, Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, via Celoria 10, 20133 Milan, Italy; Department of Toxicology, Boehringer Mannheim Italia, Research Centre, Viatle della Liberta Km 0.750, 20052 Monza (MI), Italy; Istituto di Anatomia Patologica Veterinaria e Patologia Aviare, Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, via Celoria 10, 20133 Milan, Italy; Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna (Bruno Ubertini), via Celoria 12, 20133 Milan, Italy; Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna (Bruno Ubertini), via Bianchi 7, 25125 Brescia, Italy; Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna (Bruno Ubertini), via Bianchi 7, 25125 Brescia, Italy; Department of Toxicology, Boehringer Mannheim Italia, Research Centre, Viatle della Liberta Km 0.750, 20052 Monza (MI), Italy

Interstitial nephritis was seen histologically in 19 (59%) out of 32 pure-breed beagle dogs (16 males and 16 females) subjected to standard safety tests. In these animals no clinical abnormalities were observed and all the tested parameters (haematology, biochemistry and urine analysis) were within the normal ranges. Leptospiral antibody titres ranging from 1:100 to 1:6400, against a serovar (hardio) belonging to the Sejroe serogroup, were detected by the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) in the serum of the 19 dogs with interstitial nephritis. All animals without renal lesions were seronegative. Leptospiral antigen was detected immunohistochemically in the kidneys of 4 dogs; leptospires were detected in Warthin-Starry stained sections of one dog. Leptospires were isolated from the kidneys of 3 of the 4 dogs examined by bacterial culture. The isolated strains were typed as serovar sejroe by restriction endonuclease digestion and Southern blot hybridization analysis of their DNA. It was concluded that Leptospira interrogans serovar sejroe, was responsible for an asymptomatic chronic renal infection which was widespread in this group of laboratory dogs.

Key Words: LEPTOSPIROSIS • LEPTOSPIRA INTERROGANS SEROVAR SEJROE • DOG • NEPHRITIS

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