Leptospirosis in slaughtered sows: Serological and histopathological investigation

Abstract

Swine leptospirosis is recognized world wide as an important cause of reproductive failure. Serum and histopathological examinations have been constantly used to diagnose this disease. This study was carried out on slaughtered sows from Northern Paraná State to compare serum findings with kidney, liver, ovary and uterus histo-pathological examinations. The microscopic serum-agglutination carried out on 36 animals detected 24 with titles ≥ 100 and 12 negative (< 100). The histopathological examinations made on livers, kidneys, ovaries and uterus stained with hematoxylin-eosin, were carried out on 16 randomly chosen animals, 11 from the groups with ≥ 100 serological titles and five from the negative group. The results showed that all the 16 animals had indicative lesions in the liver or in one of the kidneys. There were no lesions in the ovaries or uterus. Microscopic serum-agglutination title readings between 20 and 80 were detected in animals of the group considered negative with title < 100.