Frequency of canine leptospirosis in dog shelters in Veracruz, Mexico

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the frequency of canine leptospirosis in 92 dogs from two shelters in the city of Veracruz, Mexico. The microaglutination test (MAT) was used for detecting antibodies against 12 serovars of Leptospira interrogans in dog serum. Of the 92 dogs, eight were positive, resulting in an overall frequency of leptospirosis of 8.6% (CI95% 3.8 to 16.41). With reference to shelter, frequency was 8.3% (4/48; CI95% 2.3 to 19.9) in shelter 1 and 9.0% (4/44; CI95% 2.5 to 21.6) in shelter 2. The most frequent serovar of L. interrogans was Canicola. Frequency by sex of the dogs was 8.8% (4/45; CI95% 2.4 to 21.2) for females and 8.5% (4/47; CI95% 2.3 to 20.3) for males. In conclusion, leptospirosis is present in dogs housed in shelters in the city of Veracruz, Mexico.   Key words: Leptospirosis, dog, epidemiology, serovar.