Seroprevalence of leptospiral infection in free-range capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrachaeris) in the municipality of Uberlândia, state of Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v14i10.49681Keywords:
Hydrochaerus hydrochaeris, Leptospirosis, One Health, Zoonosis, MAT.Abstract
Leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by a group of bacteria, belonging to the genus Leptospira. It is a re-emerging zoonosis with a higher incidence in tropical countries, particularly during periods of higher rainfall, affecting both domestic and wild animals, as well as humans. Capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) are wild rodents that commonly inhabit urban areas, posing a risk to human and animal health, as they are carriers of several pathogens. This study aimed to trace the anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies in 21 capybaras (H. hydrochaeris) residing in the urban area of the municipality of Uberlândia, MG, through dark-field microscopic agglutination test (MAT), and to correlate the research results with risk factors for possible infections in other animal and human species. MAT was used, with an initial dilution of 1:25, and a 1:100 titration was used as the cut-off point. One capybara (H. hydrochaeris) (4.76%) was reactive to the MAT at a titration of 1:100, and 11 reacted to a 1:50 titration. The animal was reactive to serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae and Djasiman, serovars Copenhageni and Djasiman, respectively. Through the tests performed, it was proven that capybaras (H. hydrochaeris) with anti-Leptospira spp. of different serovars, which may suggest infections by Leptospira spp. Developing preventive measures to prevent contact between capybaras (H. hydrochaeris) and humans and domestic animals is the basis for preventing the transmission of bacteria between species.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Julli Mikaelle Alves da Silva, Gabriel Silva Pereira, Lara Pellegrini Carizzi Pereira de Lima, Fernanda Mendes de Sousa, Raissa Brauner Kamla Vieira, Vinicius da Silva Rodrigues, Anna Monteiro Correia Lima
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