Canine leptospirosis infections - clinical signs and outcome with different suspected Leptospira serogroups (42 cases)

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to investigate the presence of serum antibodies to different Leptospira serogroups in dogs with a clinical diagnosis of leptospirosis in southern Germany and to compare seroreactivity to different serogroups with history, clinical signs, laboratory findings and survival rate. METHODS: In this study, the data of 42 dogs with the diagnosis of leptospirosis were evaluated retrospectively. Dogs were presented to the Small Animal Medicine Teaching Hospital (Medizinische Kleintierklinik) of the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Germany, between 1990 to 2003. RESULTS: Reactivity to the serogroup grippotyphosa (13/42) was most frequently present, followed by reactivity to the serogroup saxkoebing (10/42). There was no difference in the clinical picture and the laboratory changes between dogs whose sera were reactive to different serogroups. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Most of the dogs with leptospirosis in southern Germany had sera reacting to serogroups other than icterohaemorrhagiae and canicola, which are contained in the vaccine. Thus, currently available vaccines in Europe do not protect against the most common Leptospira organisms associated with clinical disease.