Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo infection in Malaysian indigenous cattle

S. Khairani Bejo; A. R. Bahaman

Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo infection in Malaysian indigenous cattle

2000

S. Khairani Bejo | A. R. Bahaman

Six healthy Kedah-Kelantan calves of approximately 8 months old were selected for this study. Four calves were exposed to serovar hardjo by either the conjunctival or intravenous route whilst another two calves were housed together with the four infected calves to study the transmission of hardjo infection. Clinical signs of hardjo infection were not observed. Leptospiremia was first detected on post-inoculation day (PID) 7 and lasted until PID 13 in the infected cattle. However, it was found that dark-field microscopy was not sensitive enough to detect leptospires in the urine and blood samples. Leptospiruria was only present in animals that have been challenged through the conjunctival route. It was first detected on PID 50 and persisted to PID 148. Leptospires were not isolated from the kidneys of the infected cattle. Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo appeared to stimulate low antibody response in one of the animals infected conjunctively (titre of 1:320). There was no evidence of natural transmission of hardjo infection to the in-contact animals even tough that were housed together with the infected animals.

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