SEROLOGICAL FINDINGS IN CASES OF ACUTE LEPTOSPIROSIS IN THE DOG

Fourteen dogs which had died from acute leptospirosis, three dogs whic h survived an acute attack of leptospirosis and seven healthy dogs liv ing in close contact with the animals which died were examined for the presence of leptospiral antibodies by the microscopic agglutination t est. Twelve dogs had titres of 1:3200 or greater. The predominant titr e was directed against serovar bratislava in seven cases, serovar grip pothyphosa in two cases and both these serovars in two cases. In one c ase the predominant titre was directed against serovars bratislava, gr ippothyphosa, copenhageni (serogroup icterohaemorrhagiae) and pomona. The present study and other recent reports suggest that the epidemiolo gy of canine leptospirosis is changing with the emergence of serovars differing from those typically infecting dogs, namely canicola and ict erohaemorrhagiae.