Study of urinary shedding and identification of chronic carriers of pathogenic leptospiras in dogs kept in public or private animal shelters of Metropolitan São Paulo area

• Grant number: 12/13022-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: October 01, 2012
• End date: September 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Mitika Kuribayashi Hagiwara
• Grantee: Bruno Alonso Miotto
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Leptospirosis is a worldwide spread zoonotic disease that affects a wide range of mammals, leading not only to clinical acute manifestations, but also to asymptomatic or unnoticed illness. It has been associated with animal contact and handling, particularly companion animals, livestock and sinantropic rodents. The contact with contaminated water collections secondary to sinantropic rodent's proximity is a well described risk factor despite the location, however, dogs can also play an important role in the epidemiology of leptospirosis. The dog is the reservoir for leptospiras from Canicola serogroup, and apparently healthy animals could harbor leptospires into renal structures, promoting urinary shedding of the bacteria and possibly contributing to human and other animal's transmission. To confirm this hypothesis, leptospiral infection of dogs holded in public or private animal shelters will be evaluated. Urine samples will be submitted to real time PCR for genetic material detection and blood samples will be obtained for anti-leptospiral antibodies search (Serum Microscopic Agglutination test). Attempts to isolate leptospires will be done in urine samples obtained by aseptic catheterization or cystocentesis from dogs presenting DNA shedding. To confirm a persistent shedding of leptospires, those animals will be evaluated as to physical conditions, renal biochemical profiles, urinalyses and leptospiruria (real time PCR and attempts to isolate the microorganism) twice a month during three months. For characterization samples of isolates will be submitted to serum agglutination test with anti-leptospires antibodies and MLVA test. Simultaneously, attempts to identifying risk factors for leptospiral infection will be done. Structural and sanitary conditions of the installations, along with others characteristics, gender, age, vaccination status and origin will be evaluated as risk factors of leptospirosis using univariate and multivariate analysis. The identification of dogs with chronic renal shedding of pathogenic leptospires may allow the adoption of sanitary measures and adequate treatment of infected ones.

Scientific publications

(4)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MIOTTO, BRUNO ALONSO; TOZZI, BARBARA FURLAN; PENTEADO, MANOELA DE SOUZA; ALVES GUILLOUX, ALINE GIL; MORENO, LUISA ZANOLLI; HEINEMANN, MARCOS BRYAN; MORENO, ANDREA MICKE; LILENBAUM, WALTER; HAGIWARA, MITIKA KURIBAYASHI. Diagnosis of acute canine leptospirosis using multiple laboratory tests and characterization of the isolated strains. BMC Veterinary Research, v. 14, JUL 17 2018. (12/14681-7, 12/13022-0, 13/17136-2)

MIOTTO, BRUNO ALONSO; ALVES GUILLOUX, ALINE GIL; TOZZI, BARBARA FURLAN; MORENO, LUISA ZANOLLI; DA HORA, ALINE SANTANA; DIAS, RICARDO AUGUSTO; HEINEMANN, MARCOS BRYAN; MORENO, ANDREA MICKE; DE SOUZA FILHO, ANTONIO FRANCISCO; LILENBAUM, WALTER; et al. Prospective study of canine leptospirosis in shelter and stray dog populations: Identification of chronic carriers and different Leptospira species infecting dogs. PLoS One, v. 13, n. 7, JUL 11 2018. (12/14681-7, 12/13022-0, 13/17136-2)

MIOTTO, BRUNO ALONSO; MORENO, LUISA ZANOLLI; ALVES GUILLOUX, ALINE GIL; DE SOUSA, GISELE OLIVEIRA; LOUREIRO, ANA PAULA; MORENO, ANDREA MICKE; LILENBAUM, WALTER; VASCONCELLOS, SILVIO ARRUDA; HEINEMANN, MARCOS BRYAN; HAGIWARA, MITIKA KURIBAYASHI. Molecular and serological characterization of the first Leptospira santarosai strain isolated from a dog. Acta Tropica, v. 162, p. 1-4, OCT 2016. (13/17136-2, 12/14681-7, 12/13022-0)

MIOTTO, BRUNO ALONSO; DA HORA, ALINE SANTANA; TANIWAKI, SUELI AKEMI; BRANDAO, PAULO EDUARDO; HEINEMANN, MARCOS BRYAN; HAGIWARA, MITIKA KURIBAYASHI. Development and validation of a modified TaqMan based real-time PCR assay targeting the lipl32 gene for detection of pathogenic Leptospira in canine urine samples. Brazilian Journal of Microbiology, v. 49, n. 3, p. 584-590, JUL-SEP 2018. (12/14681-7, 12/13022-0)