Abstract
Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonotic disease with multiple serogroups that infects wildlife and humans alike. Several studies have detected the presence of leptospiral antibodies in captive Neotropical primates, suggesting that they are asymptomatic carriers. However, the presence of antibodies in free-ranging primates and their potential role as reservoirs for this pathogen is not known. In this study, we used the Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) to screen two species of free-ranging tamarins for the presence of Leptospira antibodies using a panel of 21 serogroups. A total of 56 primates (26 Leontocebus weddelli and 30 Saguinus imperator) were screened at the Estación Biológica Río Los Amigos in Madre de Dios, Peru. MAT results with titres of ≥100 in single samples were considered seropositive. Prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated for age group, sex and host species identity. Overall, 51.8% (29/56) of animals were reactive for at least one Leptospira serogroup. Serogroups were distributed as follows: Iquitos (41.1%), Icterohaemorrhagiae (14.3%), Sejroe (3.6%), Autumnalis (1.8%) and Bataviae (1.8%). No significant differences (p >.05) were found for seropositivity frequencies among categories within assessed variables. These results suggest that free-ranging L. weddelli and S. imperator might serve as reservoirs for pathogenic Leptospira serogroups. Given increasing human-wildlife contact, future studies that test for active infection are required to determine potential transmission risks to humans.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1458-1465 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Transboundary and Emerging Diseases |
Volume | 69 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research was financially supported by the EROL Scholarship 2017-II provided by Asociaci?n para la Conservaci?n de la Cuenca Amaz?nica and the Undergraduate Thesis Student Fund code A18080254 granted by Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. GS was supported by the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number D43TW009343 and the University of California Global Health Institute. The authors acknowledge Estaci?n Biol?gica R?o Los Amigos (EBLA) staff and Field Projects International's research team for their support during field work.
Funding Information:
This research was financially supported by the EROL Scholarship 2017‐II provided by Asociación para la Conservación de la Cuenca Amazónica and the Undergraduate Thesis Student Fund code A18080254 granted by Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. GS was supported by the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number D43TW009343 and the University of California Global Health Institute. The authors acknowledge Estación Biológica Río Los Amigos (EBLA) staff and Field Projects International's research team for their support during field work.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.
Keywords
- bacterial pathogens
- transmission
- veterinary epidemiology
- wildlife
- zoonosis