Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of leptospirosis in bovine dairy farms in Telangana state, India

Abstract

The current cross-sectional study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of Leptospira infection in bovine dairy farms in the Telangana state of India, as well as the associated risk factors, in order to implement effective preventive measures for disease control. A total of 469 blood samples were collected from 67 herds/farms in different areas, covering 20 administrative districts in the state. These samples consisted of 253 from cattle and 216 from buffaloes. Questionnaires were used to collect data on host and epidemiological factors. The collected sera were tested using the gold standard serological test, the Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT), which employed a panel of 18 reference serovars for Leptospira exposure. The statistical analysis of epidemiological data was carried out to identify the risk factors associated with Leptospira exposure. The overall observed seroprevalence at the animal and farm levels was 41.4% and 77.6%, respectively. The most prevalent anti-leptospiral antibodies were observed against the serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae (32.4%), Pomona (22.2%), Javanica (19.1%), Australis (17.0%), Bataviae (15.5%), Autumnalis (12.9%), Hebdomadis (12.9%), and others, in the total reacting samples. At the animal level, the significant risk factors associated with exposure to Leptospira species were breed (p = 0.03) and health status (p = 0.03). Furthermore, the multivariate statistical analysis of farm factors revealed that farm size (p = 0.05), presence of dogs (p = 0.04) and rodents (p = 0.01) on the farm, use of fodder from wet soils (p = 0.04), and proximity to water bodies (p = 0.04) were significantly associated with exposure to Leptospira in the studied region. This study provides the first report from India highlighting the important risk factors at the herd/farm and animal level associated with Leptospira infections in cattle and buffaloes. The findings contribute to strengthening the one-health strategy by facilitating the design and planning of appropriate control measures to alleviate the burden of leptospirosis in bovines.