DOMESTIC RODENTS AS RESERVOIRS OF PATHOGENIC LEPTOSPIRA ON 2 CITY OF HARARE FARMS - PRELIMINARY-RESULTS OF BACTERIOLOGICAL AND SEROLOGICAL STUDIES

Bacteriological and serological studies were carried out to determine the role domestic rodents play in transmitting leptospirosis on two Ci ty of Harare farms. Rodents were trapped and their kidneys and urine c ultured for Leptospira. The rodents and volunteer blood donors, from f arm workers and their families, were bled and the sera screened for an tibodies against representative strains of eight serogroups of Leptosp ira using the Microscopic Agglutination Test. Rattus rattus was the mo st abundant rodent caught and yielded the majority of the Leptospira i solates. The prevalence of leptospiral titres at a serum dilution of 1 :100, was 62.5 % for the rodents and 82% for the volunteer blood dono rs. The most common titres in both the rodents and humans were to anti gens from the Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pyrogenes and Grippotyphosa serogro ups. The results suggest that leptospirosis is a common occupational d isease of workers on the two farms which is transmitted to them by rod ents.