Hallazgos de anticuerpos contra Leptospira sp., serovariedades Panama, Lai, Australis, Shermani y Patoc, en un grupo de monos rhesus (Macaca mulatta) en condiciones de cautiverio | Antibodies findings against Leptospira sp., of the serovars Panama, Lai, Australis, Shermani, and Patoc, in a group of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) in conditions of captivity

La leptospirosis ha emergido como una importante enfermedad infecciosa, lo que ha ocurrido en diferentes entornos desde urbanos hasta medios naturales; los portadores son animales salvajes o domésticos. El objetivo fue evaluar la presencia de anticuerpos contra Leptospira en monos rhesus en condiciones de bioterio. Se utilizaron 59 monos de diferentes etapas fisiológicas. Se determinaron anticuerpos contra Leptospira a partir de la prueba de aglutinación microscópica (TAM), utilizando como antígenos 25 serovariedades de Leptospira. Se observó que de los 59 animales, únicamente el 30,50% reaccionaron contra una o más serovariedades de Leptospira. En este trabajo se determinaron anticuerpos contra cuatro serovariedades de Leptospira: Panama, Lai, Australis y Shermani, consideradas como patógenas, y once de las muestras reaccionaron contra la serovariedad Patoc, considerada no patógena y saprófita. Ninguno de los animales que resultaron positivos contra Leptospira presentó signos clínicos compatibles con leptospirosis.

During the last decade leptospirosis has emerged as a worldwide and very important infectious disease, affecting different environments from urban to rural, with carriers usually being wild or domestic animals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of antibodies against Leptospira in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) in a Research Center. Fifty nine non-human primates of different physiological stages were studied. The animals were held in groups and in individual cages. Blood samples were obtained from the saphenous vein to determine the presence of antibodies through the microscopic agglutination test (MA), using twenty five serovars of Leptospira as antigens. It was observed that 18 out of the 59 monkeys (30.50%) reacted against one or more serovars of Leptospira. In this study, antibodies of 4 serovars of Leptospira, (Panama, Lai, Australis, and Shermani) were detected. All 4 serovars were considered pathogenic for different mammals, including human beings, and eleven of the samples also reacted against the Patoc serovar, which is considered non pathogen and saprophyte. None of the studied animals that had a positive result against Leptospira presented any clinical signs compatible with leptospirosis.