Are Small Animal Practitioners Occupationally Exposed to Leptospirosis? Results of a Serological Survey

Elisa Mazzotta, Laura Lucchese, Cristiano Salata, Tommaso Furlanello, Ermenegildo Baroni, Alessandro Zotti, Gabriele Venturi, Alice Fincato, Silvia Marchione, Katia Capello and Alda Natale
Additional contact information
Elisa Mazzotta: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Laura Lucchese: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Cristiano Salata: Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, 35121 Padova, Italy
Tommaso Furlanello: Clinica Veterinaria San Marco, 35030 Veggiano, Italy
Ermenegildo Baroni: Clinica Veterinaria Baroni, 45100 Rovigo, Italy
Alessandro Zotti: Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Gabriele Venturi: Freelance Small Animal Practitioner, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Alice Fincato: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Silvia Marchione: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Katia Capello: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Alda Natale: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-8

Abstract: Leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonosis frequently responsible for clinical disease in dogs and rarely reported in human people. The risk of human exposure to Leptospira has been investigated in a sample population working in the northeast of Italy, a geographical area with high endemicity of canine leptospirosis. Two-hundred twenty-one human serum samples were analyzed for Leptospira microagglutination test (MAT): 112 clinical freelance small animal practitioners (exposed subjects) and 109 people not occupationally exposed to Leptospira-infected animals (unexposed subjects) were voluntarily enrolled. Despite the previously reported serological detection of antibodies vs. Leptospira in people in different Italian regions, this study did not detect any reactivity in the investigated population. This study shows that veterinarians do not appear to be at a greater risk of leptospirosis than the reference population. This may be due to both veterinarian awareness of the Leptospira zoonotic risk and the efficiency of the preventive measures and management of patients. Moreover, it could be the result of the relatively low excretion of Leptospira in symptomatic dogs, which can be considered as an environmental sentinel for Leptospira presence rather than a vehicle of transmission.

Keywords: Leptospira antibodies; human; people; microagglutination test (MAT); occupational exposure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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