Leptospirosis in Northern Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) from Washington, USA

We diagnosed leptospirosis in six northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) that stranded on beaches in Washington State, US in 2002. Significant gross findings included cyanotic oral mucous membranes, renal swelling, congestion or pale streaks on the cut surface of renal lobules, hematuria, dehydration, lymphadenopathy, pulmonary congestion, and rarely adrenal hemorrhage and congestion. Histopathology showed lymphoplasmacytic tubulointerstitial nephritis with intraluminal spirochetes and immunoreactivity to leptospiral antigens in the renal tubules and interstitium. A quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) using kidney or urine for the leptospiral lipL32 gene was positive with cycle threshold values indicative of abundant or moderate amounts of nucleic acid. A microscopic agglutination test showed the highest serum antibody titer to serovar Pomona and positive titers to serovars Autumnalis, Bratislava, Hebdomadis, Grippotyphosa, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pyrogenes, Ballum, Canicola, and Hardjo. Although antibodies to Leptospira interrogans have been previously detected in sea otters, this report describes the pathology of leptospirosis in diseased free-ranging sea otters.