Premium
Serological study of leptospiral infections and endogenous uveitis among horses and ponies in the United Kingdom
Author(s) -
MATTHEWS A. G.,
PALMER M. F.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
equine veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.82
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 2042-3306
pISSN - 0425-1644
DOI - 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1987.tb02605.x
Subject(s) - leptospira , uveitis , medicine , serotype , leptospirosis , serology , direct agglutination test , etiology , antigen , uvea , immunology , antibody , horse , biology , eye disease , virology , pathology , ophthalmology , paleontology
Summary The prevalence of antibody titres to a range of 20 leptospira antigens in the serum of horses and ponies with no ophthalmic abnormalities and with ophthalmoscopic evidence of endogenous uveal inflammatory disease was determined using a microscopic agglutination technique. Titres against leptospira antigens were observed in 13 out of 138 (9.1 per cent) animals with no ophthalmic abnormalities, and in three out of 27 (11.1 per cent) animals with anterior uveitis. Serovar sejroe was common to all seropositive animals with anterior uveitis. The results show that leptospira infection is not a major factor in the aetiology of equine anterior uveitis in the UK, but suggests that the organism may be associated with some cases of recurrent anterior uveitis.