Prevalence of <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in Lithuanian Wild Boars (<i>Sus scrofa</i>)

<i>Leptospira</i> is a bacteria responsible for a widespread zoonosis that affects both humans and animals. Leptospirosis is a challenging pathology to diagnose and treat since its signs are unspecific and symptoms vary greatly. The disease seems to be highly prevalent in environments wh...

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Main Authors: Birutė Karvelienė, Inga Stadalienė, Jūratė Rudejevienė, Evelina Burbaitė, Dalia Juodžentė, Marius Masiulis, Jūratė Buitkuvienė, Jurgita Šakalienė, Gintaras Zamokas
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Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Pathogens
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/1/85
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author Birutė Karvelienė
Inga Stadalienė
Jūratė Rudejevienė
Evelina Burbaitė
Dalia Juodžentė
Marius Masiulis
Jūratė Buitkuvienė
Jurgita Šakalienė
Gintaras Zamokas
author_facet Birutė Karvelienė
Inga Stadalienė
Jūratė Rudejevienė
Evelina Burbaitė
Dalia Juodžentė
Marius Masiulis
Jūratė Buitkuvienė
Jurgita Šakalienė
Gintaras Zamokas
author_sort Birutė Karvelienė
collection DOAJ
description <i>Leptospira</i> is a bacteria responsible for a widespread zoonosis that affects both humans and animals. Leptospirosis is a challenging pathology to diagnose and treat since its signs are unspecific and symptoms vary greatly. The disease seems to be highly prevalent in environments where reservoir animals such as rats and small mammals are common. Even though leptospirosis in humans in Lithuania is rare, it remains a disease of significance in Europe. Information on reservoir animals and prevalence of <i>Leptospira</i> in wild animals in Lithuania is lacking. The aim of this country-wide study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of <i>Leptospira</i> in wild boars in Lithuania. Hunted animals were collected from ten counties that represented the boar population of the country. The sera of 451 collected boars were evaluated for eight <i>Leptospira</i> serovars using the microscopic agglutination test. Seropositivity was observed in 102 (22.6%) boars. Overall, 194 positive reactions occurred. Boars older than 2 years were affected by more serovars and were more seropositive than younger boars (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The highest number of positive reactions was observed in Panevėžys (87.9%) and Vilnius (69.1%) counties. The results of this study might indicate that the wild boar is a reservoir animal of <i>Leptospira</i> and plays a role in its transmission in Lithuania.
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institution Kabale University
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publishDate 2025-01-01
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spelling doaj-art-cb9c94287e434a5fab11c0d3f2baf7b82025-01-24T13:44:50ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172025-01-011418510.3390/pathogens14010085Prevalence of <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in Lithuanian Wild Boars (<i>Sus scrofa</i>)Birutė Karvelienė0Inga Stadalienė1Jūratė Rudejevienė2Evelina Burbaitė3Dalia Juodžentė4Marius Masiulis5Jūratė Buitkuvienė6Jurgita Šakalienė7Gintaras Zamokas8Dr. L. Kriaučeliūnas Small Animal Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 47181 Kaunas, LithuaniaDr. L. Kriaučeliūnas Small Animal Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 47181 Kaunas, LithuaniaDr. L. Kriaučeliūnas Small Animal Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 47181 Kaunas, LithuaniaDr. L. Kriaučeliūnas Small Animal Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 47181 Kaunas, LithuaniaDr. L. Kriaučeliūnas Small Animal Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 47181 Kaunas, LithuaniaDr. L. Kriaučeliūnas Small Animal Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 47181 Kaunas, LithuaniaNational Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute, 08409 Vilnius, LithuaniaNational Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute, 08409 Vilnius, LithuaniaDr. L. Kriaučeliūnas Small Animal Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 47181 Kaunas, Lithuania<i>Leptospira</i> is a bacteria responsible for a widespread zoonosis that affects both humans and animals. Leptospirosis is a challenging pathology to diagnose and treat since its signs are unspecific and symptoms vary greatly. The disease seems to be highly prevalent in environments where reservoir animals such as rats and small mammals are common. Even though leptospirosis in humans in Lithuania is rare, it remains a disease of significance in Europe. Information on reservoir animals and prevalence of <i>Leptospira</i> in wild animals in Lithuania is lacking. The aim of this country-wide study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of <i>Leptospira</i> in wild boars in Lithuania. Hunted animals were collected from ten counties that represented the boar population of the country. The sera of 451 collected boars were evaluated for eight <i>Leptospira</i> serovars using the microscopic agglutination test. Seropositivity was observed in 102 (22.6%) boars. Overall, 194 positive reactions occurred. Boars older than 2 years were affected by more serovars and were more seropositive than younger boars (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The highest number of positive reactions was observed in Panevėžys (87.9%) and Vilnius (69.1%) counties. The results of this study might indicate that the wild boar is a reservoir animal of <i>Leptospira</i> and plays a role in its transmission in Lithuania.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/1/85<i>Leptospira</i>wild boarLithuaniaserology
spellingShingle Birutė Karvelienė
Inga Stadalienė
Jūratė Rudejevienė
Evelina Burbaitė
Dalia Juodžentė
Marius Masiulis
Jūratė Buitkuvienė
Jurgita Šakalienė
Gintaras Zamokas
Prevalence of <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in Lithuanian Wild Boars (<i>Sus scrofa</i>)
Pathogens
<i>Leptospira</i>
wild boar
Lithuania
serology
title Prevalence of <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in Lithuanian Wild Boars (<i>Sus scrofa</i>)
title_full Prevalence of <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in Lithuanian Wild Boars (<i>Sus scrofa</i>)
title_fullStr Prevalence of <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in Lithuanian Wild Boars (<i>Sus scrofa</i>)
title_full_unstemmed Prevalence of <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in Lithuanian Wild Boars (<i>Sus scrofa</i>)
title_short Prevalence of <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in Lithuanian Wild Boars (<i>Sus scrofa</i>)
title_sort prevalence of i leptospira i spp in lithuanian wild boars i sus scrofa i
topic <i>Leptospira</i>
wild boar
Lithuania
serology
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/1/85
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