Leptospirosis in Ethiopia: a serological survey in domestic and wild animals

Seven hundred and fifty-eight serum samples from domestic and wild animals in Ethiopia were tested for leptospiral antibodies by the microscopic agglutination test. The following percentages of seropositivity were obtained: horse (91.3 per cent), cow (70.7 per cent), pig (57.1 per cent), goat (47.3 per cent), sheep (43.4 per cent), camel (15.4 per cent), and dog (8.3 per cent). All 54 samples from birds and wild animals were seronegative. Most of the positive sera exhibited reaction to more than one serotype and antibodies to serotype butembo were predominant in sera of the majority of the examined species. However, grippotyphosa, rather than butembo was the predominant reacting serotype in camels and dogs. It is concluded that leptospirosis is of significant prevalence in domestic animals in Ethiopia and may constitute an occupational health hazard to man.