Prevalence of Leptospira interrogans antibodies in free-ranging Tayassu pecari of the Southern Pantanal, Brazil, an ecosystem where wildlife and cattle interact.
We surveyed a wild population of white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) in the Brazilian Pantanal for evidence of Leptospira interrogans. Serum samples from 71 free-ranging T. pecari were obtained between 2003 and 2005 in the southern Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul state. We used microscopic microagglutination to test for antibodies against 14 L. interrogans serovars (antibody titers ≥ 1:100 were considered seropositive). Seventy percent of captured animals tested positive for leptospirosis antibodies. Antibodies against icterohaemorrhagiae and autumnalis serovars were the most prevalent. We used log-linear analyses to test for associations among seropositivity, age class, and sex of captured animals. Seropositivity was strongly associated with animal age class, but independent of sex. Forty-six percent of animals less than 2 years old, 63% of adults during peak reproductive years, and 100% of the oldest age class were seropositive. A nonparametric multivariate procedure (MRPP) showed that the composition of serovar antibody types changed with age, and ANOVA models demonstrated that antibody titers increased with age, suggesting long-term exposure to a greater number and variety (i.e., serovar types) of L. interrogans infections. This study presents the first quantitative survey of antibodies against L. interrogans serovars in a T. pecari population of the Pantanal. The high prevalence of leptospirosis antibodies in free-ranging white-lipped peccaries and the potential impacts on reproduction and population dynamics emphasize the need for further studies investigating the roles of Pantanal wildlife and livestock in the transmission and maintenance of L. interrogans in the environment.
de Freitas
Tatiana P Tavares
TP
Wildlife Conservation Society, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ksadeaton@yahoo.com
Keuroghlian
Alexine
A
Eaton
Donald P
DP
de Freitas
Emanuel Barbosa
EB
Figueiredo
Aline
A
Nakazato
Luciano
L
de Oliveira
Jacqueline M
JM
Miranda
Flávia
F
Paes
Rita Cassia S
RC
Monteiro
Leticia A R Carneiro
LA
Lima
José Vergílio B
JV
da C Neto
Aparecida A
AA
Dutra
Valéria
V
de Freitas
Julio Cesar
JC
D000367:Age Factors; D000372:Agglutination Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D001188:Artiodactyla; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D007921:Leptospira interrogans / Q000276:immunology*; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial