title: Leptospira spp. infection in wild ruminants: a survey in Central Italian Alps.
abstract: Leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease diffused worldwide, and wildlife species are commonly considered to be important epidemiological carriers. Four-hundred and forty-one serological and 198 renal samples from red deer, roe deer and chamois collected in the Province of Sondrio were analysed using the microscopic agglutination test and histopathologic examination. Positive serological findings were found only in 15 red deer and 19 positive serologic reactions were recorded. The most frequent serovars were Bratislava and Grippotyphosa, followed by Pomona, Hardjo and Copenhagheni. Twenty-two per cent of renal samples from seropositive red deer were affected by mild to moderate multifocal chronic lymphoplasmacytic and fibrosing tubulo-interstitial nephritis, mainly involving the cortical parenchyma. In this study, antibodies to Leptospira spp. were infrequent in wild ruminants, and only red deer seemed to be sensitive to the infection. Given the low presence and the fact that there was no record of Leptospira spp. infections in cattle, sheep, goats and also hunters in area during the study period, wild ruminants in Alpine environments cannot be considered as reservoirs or important sources of Leptospira spp. infection for humans or domestic animals.
authors.affiliation: Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie e Sanità Pubblica, Via Celoria 10, 20133 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Andreoli
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Radaelli
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bertoletti
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Scanziani
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tagliabue
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mattiello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D015995:Prevalence; D012418:Ruminants