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  1. Fulltext Leptospirosis in animals in West Malaysia
    Joseph PG
    Malays J Pathol, 1979 Aug;2:15-21.
    PMID: 263418
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/veterinary*
  2. Fulltext Serological prevalence of leptospiral infection in wild rats at the National Service Training Centres in Kelantan and Terengganu
    Mohamed-Hassan SN, Bahaman AR, Mutalib AR, Khairani-Bejo S
    Trop Biomed, 2010 Apr;27(1):30-2.
    PMID: 20562810 MyJurnal
    One hundred and sixty eight rats were trapped from the National Service Training Centres (NSTC) in Kelantan and Terengganu from October 2008 to May 2009. Microscopic agglutination test (MAT) was performed to detect the presence of agglutinating antibodies to Leptospira among the rats caught. All the MAT positive rats were identified as Rattus tiomanicus. In Kelantan, 17.3 % (14/81) of the rats had leptospiral antibodies to serovars Icterohaemorrhagiae (12.3%), Canicola (2.5%), Ballum (1.2%), and Pyrogenes (1.2%). In Terengganu, 18.4% (16/87) of the rats had antibodies to serovars Icterohaemorrhagiae (15%), Canicola (1.1%), Pyrogenes (1.1%) and Hebdomadis (1.1%). This study indicated that Leptospira serovars were prevalent in the rat population in the study areas and could be a source of infection to humans. Therefore, control of the rat population in all NSTC is critical to prevent outbreaks of leptospirosis amongst the NSTC trainees.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/veterinary*
  3. Microhabitat Factors Influenced the Prevalence of Pathogenic Leptospira spp. in Small Mammal Host
    Yusof MA, Mohd-Taib FS, Ishak SN, Md-Nor S, Md-Sah SA, Mohamed NZ, et al.
    Ecohealth, 2019 06;16(2):260-274.
    PMID: 31124020 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-019-01419-1
    Leptospirosis, a widespread zoonotic disease, is a public health problem, especially in major urban centres, and is mainly reported to be associated with rats. In Malaysia, focus has been primarily given to the Leptospira prevalence in rodents per se, but there is lack of information on the microhabitat structure of the outbreak areas. We aimed to determine the diversity of small mammal species, microhabitat types, and their prevalence of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in the outbreak areas, which were categorized as urban, semi-urban, and recreational forests. Sampling involved deploying 100 to 300 live traps at each study site. Kidney samples were extracted from selected individuals, for screening of pathogenic Leptospira spp. by PCR. Out of 537 individuals from 15 small mammal species captured, 4 species were recorded from urban, 13 from semi-urban, and 11 from recreational forest sites. From 389 individuals screened, 58 were tested positive for pathogenic Leptospira. Recreational forests recorded the highest prevalence with 19.4% (n = 93), followed by urban, 16.6% (n = 163) and semi-urban sites with 9.8% (n = 133). Seven rodent species were tested positive for pathogenic Leptospira from all areas. R. norvegicus was found to harbour the highest prevalence (66.7%) in urban, R. rattus (53.8%) in semi-urban, whereby M. whiteheadi (44.4%) in recreational forest sites. Microhabitat analysis revealed that rubbish quantity contributed especially strongly to a high prevalence of Leptospira. This study contributes to understanding of the host and microhabitat preferences of Leptospira, which is important in controlling the spread of this disease in human's landscapes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/veterinary*
  4. Leptospirosis: An insight into community structure of small mammal's host in urban environment
    Mohd-Taib FS, Ishak SN, Yusof MA, Azhari NN, Md-Lasim A, Md Nor S, et al.
    Trop Biomed, 2020 Mar 01;37(1):142-154.
    PMID: 33612725
    Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira and most often acquired through contact with environments contaminated with leptospires shed in the urine of infected mammals. In urban environment, rodents are well-known as the main carriers of this bacteria, however there were no intensive study on the population structure of these animals, and how it associated with this disease. Hence, we use a case study from an outbreak in a residential area in Selangor, Malaysia, to investigate how community structure of small mammals, associated with the prevalence of Leptospira. One hundred cage traps were placed randomly in and around these houses in five phases with two months interval for a year. Community structures (species, sex, and age) were assigned for each individual, prior to screening for pathogenic Leptospira, using a partial lipL32 gene from the kidney samples. 185 small mammals from four species were captured, Rattus norvegicus (74.5%, N=138), R. rattus (20%, N=37), Tupaia glis (5%, N=9), and Suncus murinus (0.5%, N=1). From this number, 29 individuals were found PCR positive for pathogenic Leptospira (R. norvegicus, N=20; R. rattus, N=6; T. glis, N=2; S. murinus, N=1). The study shows that Leptospira occurrence in the small mammals were significantly correlated to age category and sampling phases, with Spearman Correlation (rs) p=0.02 and p=0.04 respectively. Adult individuals were significantly more prevalent with Leptospira infection, whereby March and June were found to associate with higher Leptospira prevalent among the small mammals, potentially coincide with low rainfall and relative humidity level. This information is important in designing a specific control method for rodents in Leptospira outbreak areas. In addition, intensive sampling and regular cleaning effort were found to significantly reduce the small mammal Leptospira reservoir, thus should be implemented in intervention strategies in the urban environment.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/veterinary*
  5. Fulltext Leptospira infection in rats: A literature review of global prevalence and distribution
    Boey K, Shiokawa K, Rajeev S
    PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2019 08;13(8):e0007499.
    PMID: 31398190 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007499
    BACKGROUND: The role of rodents in Leptospira epidemiology and transmission is well known worldwide. Rats are known to carry different pathogenic serovars of Leptospira spp. capable of causing disease in humans and animals. Wild rats (Rattus spp.), especially the Norway/brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) and the black rat (R. rattus), are the most important sources of Leptospira infection, as they are abundant in urban and peridomestic environments. In this study, we compiled and summarized available data in the literature on global prevalence of Leptospira exposure and infection in rats, as well as compared the global distribution of Leptospira spp. in rats with respect to prevalence, geographic location, method of detection, diversity of serogroups/serovars, and species of rat.

    METHODS: We conducted a thorough literature search using PubMed without restrictions on publication date as well as Google Scholar to manually search for other relevant articles. Abstracts were included if they described data pertaining to Leptospira spp. in rats (Rattus spp.) from any geographic region around the world, including reviews. The data extracted from the articles selected included the author(s), year of publication, geographic location, method(s) of detection used, species of rat(s), sample size, prevalence of Leptospira spp. (overall and within each rat species), and information on species, serogroups, and/or serovars of Leptospira spp. detected.

    FINDINGS: A thorough search on PubMed retrieved 303 titles. After screening the articles for duplicates and inclusion/exclusion criteria, as well as manual inclusion of relevant articles, 145 articles were included in this review. Leptospira prevalence in rats varied considerably based on geographic location, with some reporting zero prevalence in countries such as Madagascar, Tanzania, and the Faroe Islands, and others reporting as high as >80% prevalence in studies done in Brazil, India, and the Philippines. The top five countries that were reported based on number of articles include India (n = 13), Malaysia (n = 9), Brazil (n = 8), Thailand (n = 7), and France (n = 6). Methods of detecting or isolating Leptospira spp. also varied among studies. Studies among different Rattus species reported a higher Leptospira prevalence in R. norvegicus. The serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae was the most prevalent serovar reported in Rattus spp. worldwide. Additionally, this literature review provided evidence for Leptospira infection in laboratory rodent colonies within controlled environments, implicating the zoonotic potential to laboratory animal caretakers.

    CONCLUSIONS: Reports on global distribution of Leptospira infection in rats varies widely, with considerably high prevalence reported in many countries. This literature review emphasizes the need for enhanced surveillance programs using standardized methods for assessing Leptospira exposure or infection in rats. This review also demonstrated several weaknesses to the current methods of reporting the prevalence of Leptospira spp. in rats worldwide. As such, this necessitates a call for standardized protocols for the testing and reporting of such studies, especially pertaining to the diagnostic methods used. A deeper understanding of the ecology and epidemiology of Leptospira spp. in rats in urban environments is warranted. It is also pertinent for rat control programs to be proposed in conjunction with increased efforts for public awareness and education regarding leptospirosis transmission and prevention.

    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/veterinary*
  6. Predominance of the ST143 and ST50 Leptospira clones in the urban rat populations of Peninsular Malaysia
    Benacer D, Mohd Zain SN, Ahmed AA, Mohd Khalid MKN, Hartskeerl RA, Thong KL
    J Med Microbiol, 2016 Jun;65(6):574-577.
    PMID: 27058766 DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.000262
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/veterinary*
  7. Fulltext A review of leptospirosis in Malaysia
    Bahaman AR, Ibrahim AL
    Vet Res Commun, 1988;12(2-3):179-89.
    PMID: 3055663 DOI: 10.1007/BF00362799
    This paper reviews the literature on leptospirosis in Malaysia from its first description in 1928 until the present day. Most of the early reports were on investigations of leptospirosis in wildlife and man and up-to-date, thirty-seven leptospiral serovars from thirteen serogroups have been bacteriologically identified. The thirteen serogroups are: Australis, Autumnalis Bataviae, Canicola, Celledoni, Grippotyphosa, Hebdomadis, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Javanica, Pomona, Pyrogenes, Sejroe and Tarassovi. Rats have been ascribed as the principal maintenance host of leptospires in Malaysia. However, serovars from the Pomona, Pyrogenes and Sejroe serogroups have yet to be isolated from rats. It is considered that the majority of leptospirosis cases in man were due to association of man with an environment where rats were plentiful. Recent investigations on domestic animals disclosed a high prevalence of infection in cattle and pigs and they were suspected as being the maintenance host for serovar hardjo and pomona respectively. There is ample scope for research in leptospirosis, particularly in the epidemiology and control of the disease in domestic animals. The strategy to control the infection in domestic animals and man in Malaysia is bound to be different from that of the temperate countries, basically due to the presence of a large number of leptospiral serovars in wildlife, further confounded by geographical and financial constraints.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/veterinary
  8. Seroprevalence of Leptospirosis in Working Dogs
    Lau SF, Wong JY, Khor KH, Roslan MA, Abdul Rahman MS, Bejo SK, et al.
    Top Companion Anim Med, 2017 Dec;32(4):121-125.
    PMID: 29525230 DOI: 10.1053/j.tcam.2017.12.001
    Working dogs are canine animals that have been trained to assist human beings in carrying out various tasks. They help in guarding property, performing rescues, assisting the visually impaired or physically handicapped, searching for drugs, explosives, and others. Leptospirosis is one of the most widespread zoonotic diseases in the world and a commonly occurring disease of the tropics and subtropics. In Malaysia, all working dogs are normally vaccinated with serovars, Pomona, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, and Grippotyphosa based on protocols recommended from other countries. The duration of immunity in vaccinated dogs for Leptospira can last up to 13 months; however, there is no full crossprotection between the different serovars. Five representative canine units from different government agencies in Malaysia (n = 96 dogs) were recruited in this study. For detection, the microscopic agglutination test was performed by incubating the serum from dogs with various serovars of leptospires, namely, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, Pomona, Grippotyphosa, Australis, Bataviae, Javanica, Tarassovi, Hebdomadis, Lai, and Pyrogenes. The plasma obtained was used for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, for the detection of 16S rRNA, and lipL 32 genes of Leptospira. Out of the 96 dogs sampled, only 3 dogs were positive toward serovars, Australis, Bataviae, and Javanica, based on the cutoff point at 1:80. The seroprevalence of canine leptospirosis in this population was 3.1% (n = 3/96). However, all 96 blood samples of working dogs tested negative for both pathogenic and nonpathogenic Leptospira genes. The results revealed that, by vaccination alone, working dogs were not fully protected against leptospirosis and could pose a risk to dog handlers. A preventative and control protocol for leptospirosis is warranted, and its implementation should be monitored and improved accordingly from time to time, in order to maintain a healthy condition in both working dogs and their handlers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/veterinary*
  9. Fulltext Risk Factors and Prediction of Leptospiral Seropositivity Among Dogs and Dog Handlers in Malaysia
    Goh SH, Ismail R, Lau SF, Megat Abdul Rani PA, Mohd Mohidin TB, Daud F, et al.
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2019 04 28;16(9).
    PMID: 31035316 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16091499
    This study determined the potential risk factors that may contribute to seropositivity among dogs and dog handlers from working dog and dog shelter institutions. Data was collected from dogs (n = 266) and dog handlers (n = 161) using a standardised guided questionnaire. Serum obtained from the dogs and dog handlers was tested using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). A logistic regression analysis was used to predict leptospiral seropositivity of dogs and dog handlers based on potential risk factors. A total of 22.2% of dogs and 21.7% of dog handlers were seropositive. The significant predictors for the dogs' seropositivity were presence of rats (OR = 4.61 (95% CI: 1.05, 20.33), p = 0.043) and shared common area (OR = 5.12 (95% CI: 1.94, 13.46), p = 0.001) within the organisation. Significant predictor for dog handler seropositivity was contact time with the dogs of more than six hours/day (OR = 3.28 (95% CI: 1.28, 8.40), p = 0.013) after controlling for the effect of other risk factors such as small mammal contact, rat infestation at home, flooding at housing area (within three months) and urban locality. The exposure to various disease sources identified poses risk to dogs and dog handlers. Risk could be reduced with adequate application of protection at work while handling dogs and thus limiting contact with these sources and reducing exposure to infection.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/veterinary*
  10. Fulltext Antimicrobial susceptibility of Leptospira spp. isolated from environmental, human and animal sources in Malaysia
    Benacer D, Zain SN, Ooi PT, Thong KL
    Indian J Med Microbiol, 2017 Jan-Mar;35(1):124-128.
    PMID: 28303833 DOI: 10.4103/ijmm.IJMM_15_458
    Leptospirosis is a zoonosis with worldwide distribution caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. The aim of this study was to evaluate the susceptibility of isolates obtained from different hosts. A total of 65 Leptospira isolates from humans (n = 1), zoonoses (rat, n = 60; dog, n = 1; swine, n = 1) and environment (n = 2) were tested against six antibiotics. All the isolates were resistant to trimethoprim and sulphamethoxazole and had high MIC toward chloramphenicol (MIC90: 6.25 μg/ml). All except one environment isolate were sensitive to ampicillin, doxycycline and penicillin G.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/veterinary*
  11. Prevalence of leptospiral DNA among wild rodents from a selected area in Beguk Dam Labis, Segamat, Johor, Malaysia
    Latifah I, Rahmat MS, Hayarti KB, Paramasvaran S, Azizah MR, Imran F, et al.
    Malays J Pathol, 2012 Dec;34(2):157-9.
    PMID: 23424779
    Leptospirosis is an emerging infectious disease. The differential diagnosis of leptospirosis is difficult due to the varied and often "flu like" symptoms which may result in a missed or delayed diagnosis. Leptospira is the aetiological agent of leptospirosis, a bacterial zoonosis with worldwide distribution. There are over 230 known serovars in the genus Leptospira. The true prevalence of leptospirosis in Malaysia is unknown or underestimated. Our goal was to determine the prevalence for Leptospira infection in rodents in a selected area in Beguk Dam Labis, Segamat, Johor. A study was carried out on 69 serum samples of trapped wild rodents. DNA was extracted from the sera using Leptospira PCR kit (Shanghai ZJ Bio-Tech Co., Ltd). Of 69 rodent serum samples tested by PCR, 9 (13%) showed positive results. In this study we found that (13%) of wild rodents caught in Beguk Dam Labis were infected by Leptospira.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/veterinary*
  12. Serological prevalence of leptospiral infection in domestic animals in West Malaysia
    Bahaman AR, Ibrahim AL, Adam H
    Epidemiol Infect, 1987 Oct;99(2):379-92.
    PMID: 3678399
    A cross-sectional serological survey of domestic animals in West Malaysia revealed that 25.5% of the animals examined had agglutinating antibodies to one or more antigens belonging to Leptospira interrogans. Significant prevalence of infection was observed in cattle (40.5%), buffaloes (31%) and pigs (16%). The Sejroe serogroup was shown to be the principal one involved in cattle and buffaloes, and to a lesser extent the Tarassovi and Pomona serogroups. Evidence of infection in domestic animals by strains bearing the other seven antigens appeared insignificant and was indicative of sporadic infection. A majority of the large (semi-intensive) cattle and buffalo farms demonstrated a high prevalence of leptospiral infection. In both species of domestic animals mentioned above, the prevalence of infection was significantly higher (P = 0.01) in the semi-intensive farms than in the smallholdings. Amongst cattle, the droughtmasters had the highest prevalence whilst the Kedah-Kelantan (an indigenous breed) had the lowest prevalence of leptospiral infection. In general, the temperate breeds of cattle had a significantly (P = 0.01) higher prevalence of infection than local breeds. Leptospiral infection in goats and sheep was shown to be sporadic, and the Pomona serogroup was the principal leptospiral serogroup involved in these small ruminants. The prevalence of infection in pigs was observed to decline during the study period, and it is suspected that pigs in West Malaysia are the maintenance host for serovar pomona whilst cattle are the maintenance host for serovar hardjo. Overall, it appears that domestic animals in Malaysia will play a bigger role in the epidemiology of leptospiral infection with the advent of sophisticated farming.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/veterinary*
  13. Utility of recombinant LipL41 based IgM and IgG ELISA in diagnosis of canine leptospirosis in an endemic area - a study from Kerala, India
    Ambily R, Mini M, Siju J, Vamshikrishna S, Abhinay G, Gleeja VL, et al.
    Trop Biomed, 2019 Sep 01;36(3):654-663.
    PMID: 33597487
    A study was undertaken to evaluate the relevance of detecting IgM and IgG antibodies in diagnosis of canine leptospirosis in Kerala, a southern state of India, which is endemic for the disease. A total of 205 blood (35 from healthy vaccinated, 30 from healthy unvaccinated and 140 from diseased dogs) and 151 urine samples (11 from healthy vaccinated and 140 from diseased dogs) were collected from three districts of Kerala, Thrissur, Palakkad and Kozhikode with high incidence of leptospirosis. Recombinant LipL41 protein was used as antigen and IgG and IgM based ELISAs were standardized. The results were compared with the gold standard test, microscopic agglutination test (MAT). The MAT positive samples (146 samples) were divided into those having titre >1:800 and those between 1:100 and 1:400 in view that the former constituted the acute cases. It was found that IgM ELISA was more specific and sensitive in detecting acute cases (MAT >1:800) whereas IgG ELISA was less specific. In case of seroprevalence studies (MAT titre 1:100 to 1: 400), IgG ELISA was found to be more sensitive and specific than IgM ELISA. Receiver operating characteristic curves when plotted, revealed the accuracy of IgM ELISA in acute leptospirosis. Many samples were positive for both IgG and IgM antibodies. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) targeting lipl41 gene was standardized and urine and blood samples from the same dogs were tested. PCR was found to be the specific test for the early detection of leptospires in blood even before seroconversion. However, PCR analysis of the urine samples was found to be insensitive. Hence, it can be concluded that the diagnostic strategies should be modified, and a combination of serological and molecular tests is recommended in endemic areas rather than simple detection of IgM or IgG antibodies, for the early detection of acute clinical cases of leptospirosis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/veterinary*
  14. Detection and distribution of anti-leptospiral antibody among dogs and their handlers
    Goh SH, Khor KH, Ismail R, Megat Abdul Rani PA, Mohd Mohidin TB, Bahaman AR, et al.
    Trop Biomed, 2020 Dec 01;37(4):1074-1082.
    PMID: 33612759 DOI: 10.47665/tb.37.4.1074
    The incidence of leptospirosis seems to be on the rise and could be an alarming indirect indication of a global re-emergence. It is a potential public health threat when dogs are speculated to be involved in the transmission of leptospirosis through possible subclinical harbouring of Leptospira spp. and subsequent shedding into the environment. This study aimed to detect anti-leptospiral antibodies among dogs and their handlers using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Blood samples from 266 apparently healthy dogs and 194 dog handlers were collected at four working dog organisations and four dog shelters. Serum samples were tested using MAT against 20 leptospiral serovars with a cut-off titre >=1:100 (dog) and >=1:50 (dog handlers). Seventy dogs (70/266; 26.3%) were seropositive mainly against serovars Icterohaemorrhagiae, Ballum, Bataviae and Javanica (titres ranged: 1:100-1:800). Sixty-seven dog handlers (67/194; 34.5%) were seropositive mainly against serovars Grippotyphosa, Icterohaemorrhagiae and Malaysia (titres ranged: 1:50-1:200). Dogs were seropositive due to exposure, vaccination or active infection. Seropositive dog handlers could indicate exposure or active infection. This shows the potential of dogs in maintaining and spreading the infection in Malaysia. Due to the occupational risk as a result of frequent contact with dogs and exposure to contaminated environments, dog handlers should be made aware of the presence of this zoonotic disease.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/veterinary
  15. Serological and bacteriological study of leptospiral infection in a cattle herd in Malaysia
    Bahaman AR, Ibrahim AL
    Vet Rec, 1986 Sep 27;119(13):325-6.
    PMID: 3776042
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/veterinary*
  16. The bacteriological prevalence of leptospiral infection in cattle and buffaloes in West Malaysia
    Bahaman AR, Ibrahim AL, Stallman ND, Tinniswood RD
    Epidemiol Infect, 1988 Apr;100(2):239-46.
    PMID: 3356222
    A cross-sectional bacteriological survey of cattle in West Malaysia revealed 14.4% (32/222) had leptospiral infection. Isolates were obtained from all except one herd with prevalence of infection in herds ranging from 0-44.8%. A small number of buffalo urine samples were examined and all of them were found to be negative. A leptospiral isolate obtained from a bovine kidney proved to be a new serovar of Leptospira interrogans and the name unipertama was assigned to it. Six other leptospiral serovars were isolated, namely canicola, australis, javanica, ballum, pomona and hardjo. All six serovars were isolated for the first time in cattle in Malaysia. Cattle in Malaysia appear to be the maintenance host for serovar hardjo. The presence of the other serovars in cattle was probably due to contact with the maintenance hosts, pigs for serovar pomona and rodents for the other three serovars. It appears that the epidemiology of leptospiral infection in cattle in Malaysia is similar to that reported overseas.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/veterinary*
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