A SEROLOGICAL AND BACTERIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF LEPTOSPIRAL INFECTION IN DOGS IN EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW

Sera collected from 511 unvaccinated urban dogs were examined for antibodies to serovars of Leptospira interrogans representing nine serogroups found in the United Kingdom. The point estimates of the seroprevalence of leptospiral titres in Edinburgh and Glasgow at a minimum serum dilution of 1:10 were 23.5 per cent and 27.5 per cent, respectively, and, in Glasgow, the seroprevalance was significantly higher in males than females, for both crude and age-adjusted values. Serovar canicola was the dominant strain identified, followed by serovars icterohaemorrhagiae, bratislava and ballum. Antibodies against serovars javanica and hardjo also were detected. Urine samples were collected from 84 of the male blood-sampled dogs, and cultured. Serovars canicola and bratislava were isolated from three and four samples, respectively.