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1 December 2015 SEROLOGIC SURVEY AND RESULTS OF URINARY PCR TESTING FOR LEPTOSPIROSIS IN CAPTIVE BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOGS (CYNOMYS LUDOVICIANUS)
June E. Olds, Yaxuan Sun, David H. Baum, Phillip Gauger
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease occurring clinically and subclinically in humans and a wide variety of mammal species worldwide. Often, rodents and wild animals are identified as important reservoirs for the disease. Twenty-two captive black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) housed within a zoo were examined as part of a routine census and preventive medicine program. During examinations, blood and urine were collected to screen for exposure to, or infection with, leptospirosis. All animals were apparently healthy at the time of examination. Leptospira microscopic agglutination test identified 12 of 22 (54.5%) prairie dogs with antibody titers ≥1 : 100 against Leptospira interrogans serovar bratislava on initial serologic examination. All prairie dogs within this collection were serologically negative for L. interrogans serovars canicola, hardjo, icterohaemorrhagiae, and pomona and Leptospira kirschneri serovar grippotyphosa. Leptospira polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of urine was negative in all animals tested. This report describes evidence that captive prairie dogs may be exposed to leptospirosis, most likely from wild rodent reservoirs; however, serum titers are low, and lack of leptospiral DNA detected by PCR indicates that these captive animals are unlikely to be important reservoirs for the disease.

Copyright 2015 by American Association of Zoo Veterinarians
June E. Olds, Yaxuan Sun, David H. Baum, and Phillip Gauger "SEROLOGIC SURVEY AND RESULTS OF URINARY PCR TESTING FOR LEPTOSPIROSIS IN CAPTIVE BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOGS (CYNOMYS LUDOVICIANUS)," Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 46(4), 843-849, (1 December 2015). https://doi.org/10.1638/2015-0063.1
Received: 17 March 2015; Published: 1 December 2015
KEYWORDS
Cynomys ludovicianus
Leptospira bratislava
Leptospira MAT
Leptospira PCR
prairie dog
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