Leptospiral abortion and leptospiruria in horses from the same farm

Abstract

Leptospirosis was documented as the cause of abortion in a 5-year-old mare. Leptospires were detected in tissue specimens from fetal kidneys and from placenta by histologic evaluation of silver-stained sections. Antibodies against Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona were detected in fetal serum at a titer of 1,600 by use of a microscopic agglutination test. The mare had serum titers of 6,400; 0; 400; 800; 3,200; and 6,400 to L interrogans serovars bratislava, canicola, grippotyphosa, hardjo, icterohaemorrhagiae, and pomona, respectively. A serologic survey identified titers of at least 6,400 against serovars bratislava and pomona in 5 other horses on the farm. Titers of at least 100 against serovar bratislava were detected in 53% of the horses on the farm. Leptospires were detected by direct fluorescent-antibody testing in urine samples from the mare that aborted and from 2 of the other 5 horses.