Leptospirosis in animals and humans in selected areas of Tanzania
1997
Machang'u, R. | Mgode, G. | Mpanduji, D. (Sokoine Univ. of Agriculture, Morogoro (Tanzania))
A serosurvey was carried out in selected areas of Tanzania to determine the prevalence of leptospirosis in animals and humans. Sera of rodents (n=537), cattle (n=374), dogs (n=208) and humans (n=375) were screened for antibodies by microagglutination (MAT) procedure. The areas studied included swampy or irrigated sugar cane and rice fields (Mtibwa-Morogoro, Sangasanga-Morogoro, Lower Moshi), highlands (Moshi Highlands, Lushoto, Mbizi Forests-Rukwa), pastoral plateaus (Singida, Mwanza, Mbeya, Mbinga), and a Lake basin (Lake Rukwa). Leptospira interrogans serovars icterohaemorrhagiae, hardjo, canicola, pyrogenes and grippotyphosa served as reference antigens in the MAT assay. Antibodies to serovar icterohaemorrhagiae were demonstrated in 1.9 per cent of the sera of examined rodents (Mastomys natalensis, Rattus rattus). Cattle sera showed the presence of antibodies to serovars hardjo (5.6 per cent) and pyrogenes (1.9 per cent) respectively, and dog sera showed antibodies to serovars icterohaemorrhagiae (37 per cent), and cancel (0.5 per cent) respectively. A single sample of the human sera agglutinated with serovar grippotyphosa. In an attempt to isolate leptospires from urine of 1021 cattle at a slaughterhouse in Morogoro, 7 isolates were obtained. This study has shown that leptospirosis is a potential public health hazard in certain areas of Tanzania.
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