Prevalence of leptospiral antibodies in the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) population of Croatia

A. Slavica, D. Dezdek, D. Konjevic, Z. Cvetnic, M. Sindicic, D. Stanin, J. Habus and N. Turk
Additional contact information
A. Slavica: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
D. Dezdek: Croatian Veterinary Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
D. Konjevic: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Z. Cvetnic: Croatian Veterinary Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
M. Sindicic: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
D. Stanin: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
J. Habus: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
N. Turk: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

Veterinární medicína, 2011, vol. 56, issue 4, 209-213

Abstract: Over a period of five years (2005-2010) a total of 358 red fox (Vulpes vulpes) serum samples were collected during regular hunting procedures, mostly in the continental part of Croatia. All samples were tested using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) for the presence of specific antibodies (Ab) to 12 Leptospira spp. pathogenic serovars. Specific antibodies for 11 different Leptospira spp. serovars (Australis, Sejroe, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Saxkoebing, Grippotyphosa, Tarassovi, Ballum, Pomona, Poi, Batavie, and Canicola) were detected in 121 red fox serum samples (33.8%). Among the positive samples antibodies for serovar Australis were found most frequently (32.1%), followed by Abs for serovar Sejroe (18.2%) and Icterohaemorrhagiae (13.2%). The highest Ab titre (1 : 3200) was recorded for serovar Australis and together with serovars Sejroe and Icterohaemorrhagiae this serovar showed a statistically significant frequency in cross-reactions (recorded in 23.1% cases). High Ab titres for serovars Grippotyphosa and Tarassovi (1 : 800) were detected for the first time in red foxes from the continental part of Croatia. The significant percentage (≍ 35%) of seropositive reactions to Leptospira spp. serovars implies the presence of pathogenic agents in the natural habitats of red foxes in Croatian low-land territories. The high Ab prevalence for specific serovars (Australis and Sejroe) detected in the fox population suggests predator-prey chain transmission of leptospirosis between red foxes and small terrestrial mammals, whilst the high Ab prevalence for serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae indicates an occasional contact of red foxes with rats. Red foxes can be thought of as susceptible hosts for serovars Australis and Sejroe and a possible link in leptospirosis transmission to other wild carnivores such as martens, weasels and ferrets. In contrast, this serologic survey revealed no evidence of serovar Canicola interchange between domestic carnivores (dogs) and red foxes. It can be concluded that red foxes are reliable sentinels for the epidemiological monitoring of leptospirosis, especially in lowland habitats.

Keywords: red fox; Leptospira spp.; serology; Croatia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://vetmed.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/3151-VETMED.html (text/html)
http://vetmed.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/3151-VETMED.pdf (application/pdf)
free of charge

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:caa:jnlvet:v:56:y:2011:i:4:id:3151-vetmed

DOI: 10.17221/3151-VETMED

Access Statistics for this article

Veterinární medicína is currently edited by Ing. Helena Smolová Ph.D.

More articles in Veterinární medicína from Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Ivo Andrle ().