Canine leptospirosis--do we have a problem?

Abstract

Acute canine leptospirosis is well known to vet surgeons. To protect dogs against this lethal disease, vaccination is widely used. However, chronic forms of leptospirosis have been noticed even in vaccinated animals, generally induced by bacteria from serogroups other than Icterohaemorrhagiae and Canicola such as Sejroë, Australis or Grippotyphosa. In a survey on 98 ill cats, 48% were positive in microagglutination test (MAT) to Leptospira spp., showing that this infection is also frequent in the feline species.