Animal Reproduction (AR)
https://www.animal-reproduction.org/article/doi/10.1590/1984-3143-AR2025-0011
Animal Reproduction (AR)
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Describing diagnosis (MAT + PCR) and control (vaccine + streptomycin sulfate) of a leptospirosis outbreak in dairy cows with reproductive disorders

Matheus Aguiar Stein; Nayara Bastos Costa; Glaucenyra Cecília Pinheiro da Silva

http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1984-3143-AR2025-0011 Anim Reprod, vol.22, n4, e20250011, 2025
PDF
Downloads: 0
Views: 2

Abstract

Leptospirosis is a zoonosis caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. In cattle, the infection mainly manifests in the genital form. However, there are still few studies about this manifestation. The aim of this study was to describe the control of an outbreak of leptospirosis in dairy cows with reproductive disorders, through the combination of diagnostic methods and the integration of vaccination with antibiotic therapy. Between December 2022 and April 2023, 17 cows presented reproductive disorders. After the outbreak, two consecutive blood collections and one cervicovaginal mucus (CVM) collection were carried out. The blood samples were tested by the microscopic seroagglutination test (MAT), using a collection of antigens with eight strains of Leptospira and a cutoff point ≥ 1:200. The CVM samples were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), with the lipL32 gene as target. The control was carried out with the CattleMaster® GOLD FP 5/L5 vaccine, in addition to the application of streptomycin (25 mg/kg) in positive cows. After one year of sanitary management, the CVM PCR was repeated to evaluate the effectiveness of the integrated control. In serology, 58.8% (10/17) of the cows were reactive, with 100% (10/10) for the serogroup Sejroe. In the molecular analysis, 58.8% (10/17) of the cows were positive. When combining the two methods, the result was 82.3% (14/17) reagent/positive. After the integrated control, 0.0% (0/17) of cows were positive. It was concluded that the outbreak was related to bovine leptospirosis. Furthermore, the combination of diagnostic methods and integrated control proved to be efficient.

Keywords

bovines, control, diagnosis, reproduction, Leptospira spp

References

Aymée L, Gregg WRR, Loureiro AP, Di Azevedo MIN, Pedrosa JS, Melo JSL, Carvalho-Costa FA, Souza GN, Lilenbaum W. Bovine Genital Leptospirosis and reproductive disorders of live subfertile cows under field conditions. Vet Microbiol. 2021;261:109213. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2021.109213. PMid:34481272.

Aymée L, Di Azevedo MIN, Borges ALDSB, Carvalho-Costa FA, Lilenbaum W. Leptospira spp. strains associated with Bovine Genital Leptospirosis (BGL). Microb Pathog. 2022a;173(Pt A):105841. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2022.105841. PMid:36309182.

Aymée L, Di Azevedo MIN, Pedrosa JS, Melo JSL, Carvalho-Costa FA, Lilenbaum W. The role of Leptospira santarosai serovar guaricura as agent of bovine genital leptospirosis. Vet Microbiol. 2022b;268:109413. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2022.109413. PMid:35390628.

Aymée L, Lilenbaum W. Comments on the sensitivity variation of serology to diagnose bovine leptospirosis: facing the chronic infection. Prev Vet Med. 2024;224:106136. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106136. PMid:38325116.

Aymée L, Mendes J, Lilenbaum W. Bovine genital leptospirosis: an update of this important reproductive disease. Animals. 2024a;14(2):322. http://doi.org/10.3390/ani14020322. PMid:38275782.

Aymée L, Borges ALDSB, Souza GN, Lilenbaum W. Is microscopic agglutination test a reliable method for diagnosing the bovine genital leptospirosis syndrome? Vet Res Commun. 2024b;48(6):4185-9. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-024-10560-4. PMid:39340735.

Aymée L, Reis L, Soares AC, Souza GN, Lilenbaum W. Detecting Leptospira spp. infection in cows by PCR: what is the best sample to test? Theriogenology. 2025;231:154-9. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2024.10.020. PMid:39454480.

Bautista JM, Aranda Estrada M, Gutiérrez Olvera L, Lopez Ordaz R, Sumano López H. Treatment of bovine leptospirosis with enrofloxacin HCL 2H2O (Enro-C): a clinical trial. Animals. 2022;12(18):2358. http://doi.org/10.3390/ani12182358. PMid:36139218.

Borges ALSB, Aymée L, Carvalho-Costa FA, Lilenbaum W, Di Azevedo MIN. Molecular epidemiology of Leptospira spp. serogroup Sejroe associated with chronic bovine leptospirosis. Vet Microbiol. 2024;298:110238. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2024.110238. PMid:39216324.

Bradley EA, Lockaby G. Leptospirosis and the environment: a review and future directions. Pathogens. 2023;12(9):1167. http://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12091167. PMid:37764975.

Carvalho HGAC, Silva DM, Rodrigues GRD, Gameiro AH, Santos RF, Raineri C, Lima AMC. Estimation of economic losses due to leptospirosis in dairy cattle. Prev Vet Med. 2024;229:106255. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106255. PMid:38889484.

Cidade-Brasil. Município de Valença, Rio de Janeiro [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2025 Feb 5]. Available from: https://www.cidade-brasil.com.br/municipio-valenca-rj.html

Chin VK, Basir R, Nordin SA, Abdullah M, Sekawi Z. Pathology and host immune evasion during human leptospirosis: a review. Int Microbiol. 2020;23(2):127-36. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10123-019-00067-3. PMid:30875033.

Correia L, Loureiro AP, Lilenbaum W. Effects of rainfall on incidential and host-maintained leptospiral infection in cattle in a tropical region. Vet J. 2017;220:63-4. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2016.12.016. PMid:28190497.

Di Azevedo MIN, Lilenbaum W. An overview on the molecular diagnosis of animal leptospirosis. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2021;72(5):496-508. http://doi.org/10.1111/lam.13442. PMid:33332656.

Dobson KJ. Letter: eradication of leptospirosis in commercial pig herds. Aust Vet J. 1974;50(10):471. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-0813.1974.tb06873.x. PMid:4447531.

Ellis WA. Animal Leptospirosis. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 2015;387:99-137. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-45059-8_6. PMid:25388134.

Furquim MEC, Santos RF, Mathias LA. Antibodies against Leptospira spp. in bovine serum samples from several Brazilian states analyzed in the period from 2007 to 2015. Arq Bras Med Vet Zootec. 2021;73(2):277-84. http://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4162-12145.

Hamond C, Martins G, Loureiro AP, Pestana C, Lawson-Ferreira R, Medeiros MA, Lilenbaum W. Urinary PCR as na increasingly useful tool for an accurate diagnosis of leptospirosis in livestock. Vet Res Commun. 2014;38(1):81-5. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-013-9582-x. PMid:24222053.

Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estátistica – IBGE. Brasil/Rio de Janeiro/Valença: pecuária [Internet]. Rio de Janeiro: IBGE; 2022 [cited 2025 Feb 5]. Available from: https://cidades.ibge.gov.br/brasil/rj/valenca/pesquisa/18/16459

Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia – INMET. Normal climatológico do Brasil [Internet]. Brasília: INMET; 2010 [cited 2025 Feb 5]. Available from: https://portal.inmet.gov.br/normais

Libonati HA, Santos GB, Souza GN, Brandão FZ, Lilenbaum W. Leptospirosis is strongly associated to estrus repetition on cattle. Trop Anim Health Prod. 2018;50(7):1625-9. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-018-1604-9 PMid:29721805.

Lilenbaum W, Souza GN. Factors associated with bovine leptospirosis in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Res Vet Sci. 2003;75(3):249-51. http://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-5288(03)00114-0. PMid:13129675.

Loureiro AP, Lilenbaum W. Genital bovine leptospirosis: a new look for an old disease. Theriogenology. 2020;141:41-7. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2019.09.011. PMid:31518727.

Martins G, Penna B, Lilenbaum W. Maintenance of Leptospira infection in cattle under tropical conditions. Vet Rec. 2010;167(16):629-30. http://doi.org/10.1136/vr.c5695. PMid:21257450.

Martins G, Lilenbaum W. The panorama of animal leptospirosis in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, regarding the seroepidemiology of the infection in the tropical regions. BMC Vet Res. 2013;9(1):237. http://doi.org/10.1186/1746-6148-9-237. PMid:24289165.

Martins G, Lilenbaum W. Control of bovine leptospirosis: aspects for consideration in a tropical environment. Res Vet Sci. 2017;112:156-60. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2017.03.021. PMid:28391058.

Martins G, Guadelupe B, Aymée L, Balaro MFA, Pinto PH, Di Azevedo MIN, Brandão FZ, Lilenbaum W. The efficacy of vaccination in the prevention of renal and genital leptospirosis in experimentally infected sheep. Trop Med Infect Dis. 2022;7(10):321. http://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7100321. PMid:36288062.

Mughini-Gras L, Bonfanti L, Natale A, Comin A, Ferronato A, La Greca E, Patregnani T, Lucchese L, Marangon S. Application of an integrated outbreak management plan for the control of leptospirosis in dairy cattle herds. Epidemiol Infect. 2014;142(6):1172-81. http://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268813001817. PMid:23920354.

Oliveira GDM, Garcia LAN, Soares LAP, Lilenbaum W, Souza GN. Leptospirosis by Sejroe strains leads to embryonic death (ED) in herds with reproductive disorders. Microbiol Spectr. 2022;10(3):1-10.

Pimenta CLRM, Costa DF, Silva MLCR, Pereira HD, Araújo JP Jr, Malossi CD, Ullmann LS, Alves CJ, Azevedo SS. Strategies of the controlo f na outbreak of leptospiral infection in dairy cattle in Northeastern Brazil. Trop Anim Health Prod. 2019;51(1):237-41. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-018-1635-2. PMid:29971649.

Pinto PS, Libonati H, Penna B, Lilenbaum W. A sytematic review on microscopic agglutination test seroepidemiology of bovine leptospirosis in Latin America. Trop Anim Health Prod. 2016;48(2):239-48. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-015-0954-9. PMid:26581437.

Pinto PS, Barbosa C, Ferreira AMR, Lilenbaum W. Uterine leptospiral infection is strongly associated to strains of serogroup Sejroe on experimentally infected hamsters. Microb Pathog. 2020;142:104030. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2020.104030. PMid:32027974.

Schoonman L, Swai ES. Herd- and animal-level risk factors for bovine leptospirosis in Tanga region of Tanzania. Trop Anim Health Prod. 2010;42(7):1565-72. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-010-9607-1. PMid:20517645.

Sohm C, Steiner J, Jöbstl J, Wittek T, Firth C, Steinparzer R, Desvars-Larrive A. A systematic review on leptospirosis in cattle: A European perspective. One Health. 2023;17:100608. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2023.100608. PMid:37577054.

Stoddard RA, Gee JE, Wilkins PP, McCaustland K, Hoffmaster AR. Detection of pathogenic Leptospira spp. through TaqMan polymerase chain reaction targeting the LipL32 gene. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2009;64(3):247-55. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2009.03.014. PMid:19395218.

Waldmann KH. Progression and controlo f leptospirosis in a sow herd. Dtsch Tierarztl Wochenschr. 1990;97(1):39-42. PMid:2311529.

World Organisation for Animal Health – WOAH. WOAH manual of diagnostic tests and vaccines for terrestrial animals [Internet]. Paris: WOAH; 2021. Chapter 3.1.12, Leptospirosis [cited 2025 Feb 5]. Available from: https://www.woah.org/fileadmin/Home/fr/Health_standards/tahm/3.01.12_LEPTO.pdf
 

Submitted date:
02/05/2025

Accepted date:
07/02/2025

68ed2e70a953955b3e76d043 animreprod Articles
Links & Downloads
1984-3143 (Electronic) 1806-9614 (Printed)
Anim Reprod ©2025 All rights reserved.

Anim Reprod

Share this page
Page Sections