ABSTRACT
The objective of the present study was to detect antibodies against Leptospira spp. by the microscopical seroagglutination test in animals and employees of the municipal zoo of Uberaba, MG. Blood samples of 166 animals including mammals, reptiles, fish and poultry and of the 36 employees were collected. Of all studied animals, 17 (10.02%) were reactant to antibodies against Leptospira spp. The sorovars found in the different species were: Grippotyphosa in a Cerdocyon thous species; Canicola in a Chrysocyon brachiurus species; Andamana and Icterohaemorrhagiae in 2 species of Leopardus pardalis ; Canicola and Icterohaemorrhagiae in 2 species of Puma concolor; Icterohaemorrhagiae in two species of Tayassu tajacu; Andamana in 2 species of Geochelone spp.; Patoc in a Trachemys scripta specie; Canicola in six species of Oreochromis niloticus; Icterohaemorrhagiae in a Rattus rattus specie. The most frequent sorovars were Canicola 8 (47.05%); Icterohaemorrhagiae 5 (29.41%) and Andamana 2 (11.76%). The titer 1/100 was the strongest with 35.3% in all reactant agents. The poultry, the stray domestic cats and the employees of the zoo were negative for the analyzed sorovars. In all studied species, the mammals and the fish presented the most seroactivity. The importance of more studies in both wild and captive animals and the relevance to Leptospira epidemiology can be seen.
KEY WORDS
Leptospirosis; sorovars; zoonosis; wild animals; zoo