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Prevalence of Leptospira spp. in wild brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) on UK farms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

J. P. Webster ,
W. A. Ellis  and
D. W. Macdonald
J. P. Webster
Affiliation:
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS
W. A. Ellis
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, Veterinary Sciences Division, Stoney Road, Stormont, Belfast BT4 3SD
D. W. Macdonald
Affiliation:
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS
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Wild brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) are frequently implicated in the carriage and spread of Leptospira spp. Wild brown rats (n = 259) were trapped from 11 UK farms and tested for Leptospira spp. using a number of diagnostic tests. The prevalence of leptospiral infection was low, but there was variation in the results obtained with the different diagnostic tests. Estimates of prevalence ranged between 0% by silver-staining of tissues, 1% by the microscopic agglutination test, 4% by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, 4% by culture, and 8% by fluorescent antibody technique. In total, 37 (14%) rats were positive by at least one of the tests, which contrasts with the frequently reported prevalences of 50–70% for wild rats in the UK. Serovar bratislava was as prevalent as icterohaemorrhagiae, although it was present only on farms with larger rat populations.

Type
Special Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 114 , Issue 1 , February 1995 , pp. 195 - 201
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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