Volume: 55 Issue: 4
Year: 2024, Page: 845-847, Doi: https://doi.org/10.51966/jvas.2024.55.4.845-847
Received: Sept. 30, 2024 Accepted: Oct. 23, 2024 Published: Dec. 31, 2024
Leptospirosis is a globally significant zoonotic disease caused by Leptospira spp., affecting animals and
humans. In animals, different serovars of Leptospira exist depending on varied geographic locations. Leptospirosis in
pigs can lead to a range of health issues, including reproductive failure, abortions, and stillbirths. It may also cause
neonatal mortality, as infected piglets are highly susceptible, leading to significant economic losses in swine production
due to reduced litter sizes and poor health outcomes. Hence, this study was undertaken to detect Leptospira from pigs
with history of abortions. Serum and whole blood samples were collected from of 23 pigs with history of abortion from
some organised pig farms in Kerala. Blood samples were screened for the presence of Leptospira using polymerase
chain reaction (PCR) targeting the loa22 gene followed by isolation in Ellinghausen McCullough Johnson Harris (EMJH)
media. For the detection of antileptospiral antibodies, MAT was carried out. Two out of 23 serum samples were positive
for MAT and the serovars positive were Australis and Pomona (1:200 dilution). The same samples were tested positive in
PCR. One isolate was obtained and confirmed using loa22 gene-specific PCR.
Keywords: Leptospirosis, Isolates, MAT, PCR
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© 2024 Reshma et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Reshma, T., Ambily, R., Mani, B.K., Priya, P.M., Menon, K.V., Ajith, Y. and Reshma, P.S. 2024. Isolation and
molecular detection of Leptospira from pigs.
J. Vet. Anim. Sci. 55 (4):845-847