Seroprevalence of in canines and humans Leptospira spp in three neighborhoods of Tunja, Colombia

Objective. To establish the seroprevalence of Leptospira spp in the canine and human populations of slum neighborhoods in the city of Tunja. Materials and methods. Sixty-one canine serums were obtsined in slum neighborhoods of the city, sera of 46 human pet owners were also obtained, an interview was done as well. The microagglutination-lysis (MAT) technique was used to process the samples for six serotypes of Leptospira spp. Results. 67.2% of the canine population tested was found to be seropositive, the seroprevalence by serovars resulted in 14.8% for L. icterohemorragica; 8.2% for L. pomona; 9.85% for L. hardjo; 18% for L. canicola, 6.6% for L. automnalis and 9.8% for L. sejroë. Humans showed a prevalence of 21.7%, the distribution was as follow: L. automnalis (4.35%); L. hardjo (2.17%), L. sejroë (6.52%), L. icterohaemorragiae (6.52%) and L. canicola (2.17%). Conclusions. These results showed a great problem with high impact, in contrast with prevalence rates in other municipalities in Colombia, revealed a high positivity rate in this area and produces big concern because of its rapid dissemination, which may be caused by the close contact between vectors, such as rodents and canines.