Leptospirosis - Cattle and Sheep



    • Cattle and sheep
      • Cattle are maintenance hosts for L. borgpetersenii serovar hardjo
      • L. interrogans serovar hardjo is host-adapted to cattle
      • Acute disease in susceptible heifers, with fever and agalactia of all quarters; abortion and stillbirth may occur
      • Diagnosed by rising antibody titre in paired serum samples
      • Infection in sheep may cause abortion and agalactia
      • Urinary excretion can be reduced by administering dihydrostreptomycin or amoxycillin
      • Incactivated vaccines are of questionable efficacy
      • Serovars pomona, grippotyphosa and icterohaemorrhagiae cause pyrexia, haemoglobinurea, jaundice, anorexia, uraemia due to renal damage and death in calves and lambs