A serological survey of agents causing leptospirosis and toxoplasmosis in Rattus rattus in the city of Umuarama, northwest Paraná, Brazil

Synanthropic rodents, present in both urban and rural areas, are responsible for the zoonotic transmission of several diseases to humans as well as for significant economic losses. They act as reservoirs for important viral diseases, bacterial diseases such as leptospirosis, and parasitic diseases s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Semina: Ciências Agrárias
Main Authors: Karoline Franciani Cardoso Lopes, Ricardo de Melo Germano, Edson Gerônimo, Danila Zago, Eduardo Herrera Dias, Roberta Torres Chideroli, Fernanda Evers, Italmar Teodorico Navarro, Julio Cesar de Freitas, Daniela Dib Gonçalves
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Portuguese
Published: Universidade Estadual de Londrina 2017
Subjects:
Serological diagnosis
Leptospira spp
Rats
Toxoplasma gondii
Zoonosis
Agriculture (General)
S1-972
Rattus rattus
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2017v38n1p239
https://doaj.org/article/39fd965073f646ae94aeef66e54b810f
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Summary:Synanthropic rodents, present in both urban and rural areas, are responsible for the zoonotic transmission of several diseases to humans as well as for significant economic losses. They act as reservoirs for important viral diseases, bacterial diseases such as leptospirosis, and parasitic diseases such as toxoplasmosis and leishmaniasis. The aim of the present study was to assess the seropositivity of synanthropic rodents in Umuarama city, located in the northwestern region of Paraná State, Brazil, to agents causing leptospirosis and toxoplasmosis. The microscopic agglutination technique (MAT) was used to detect anti-Leptospira antibodies, and the indirect immunofluorescence reaction (IIFR) was used to detect anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies. Of 178 animals collected, four (2.24%) were seropositive for Leptospira spp. and ten (5.62%) for Toxoplasma gondii. Ninety-five (53.38%) of the collected animals were male and 83 (46.62%) were female, and two (1.23%) originated from urban areas while 176 (98.87%) originated from peri-urban areas. Serological results showed that the synanthropic rodents examined here had low seroreactivity for agents causing both leptospirosis and toxoplasmosis, in both urban and peri-urban regions of Umuarama city. This could be associated with the high Human Development Index for the study area. However, preventative measures must continue to be observed, as rodents are important reservoirs for, and disseminators of, disease causing agents.

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