Canine Leptospirosis: How Can I Get Up-to-Date Information on Diagnosis and Treatment?

Abstract

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of worldwide distribution that commonly affects dogs and to a lesser extent cats, cows and pigs, is caused by free-living spirochetes Endo flagellates, the most common clinical signs of the disease are fever, acute kidney and liver failure, it is transmitted through contact of mucous membranes with contaminated urine, through venereal route and bites among other ways, it is reported throughout the world and especially in tropical and temperate areas where the presence of streams and water courses promote the activity of rodents that are asymptomatic carriers of the bacteria, the diagnosis is complicated by the variety of clinical signs that can occur and is achieved through laboratory tests such as the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), through indirect hemagglutination assays or through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and in urine cultures it can be identified by dark field microscopy and PCR. Hematological findings commonly include thrombocytopenia, vasculitis and endothelial damage caused by circulating bacteria. Platelet adhesion and activation of the coagulation cascade are also generated. Mild to moderate anemia may be found as a result of generalized inflammation of the system or due to blood loss at the level of the respiratory or gastrointestinal system. In the white series, leukocytosis with neutrophilia is present as a result of systemic inflammation. The disease is prevented through vaccination, which is useful but limited to the available serovars. The duration of immunity is one year, so it is recommended to revaccinate year after year. In puppies, it can be started from one month of age with a booster at 2 to 4 weeks. Treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms but is based on the use of antibiotics to reduce or eliminate the bacterial load. This document can help generate a collection of important data to understand the pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of leptospirosis. Using this methodology, valuable literature from different geographic areas can be investigated and the best guidelines for the management of leptospirosis cases can be compared, thus providing up-to-date information for use by veterinary medical professionals.