Prevalence and Carrier Status of Leptospirosis in Smallholder Dairy Cattle and Peridomestic Rodents in Kandy, Sri Lanka

A high prevalence of leptospirosis was detected in smallholder dairy cattle (38.8% of farms) and peridomestic rodents (17.5%) in Kandy, Sri Lanka, with cattle identified as a significant reservoir for human transmission. The study used serological testing to detect antileptospiral antibodies and PCR to identify Leptospira flaB gene DNA in urine and kidney samples. Cattle were predominantly infected with serogroups Sejroe (73.9%) and Hebdomadis (26.1%), while rodents showed reactions to Javanica (61.5%) and Icterohaemorrhagiae (30.8%). The findings suggest cattle may pose a greater risk to agricultural communities than rodents, aligning with human leptospirosis patterns in the region.

Gamage, C. D., Koizumi, N., Muto, M., Nwafor-Okoli, C., Kurukurusuriya, S., Rajapakse, J. R. P. V., Kularatne, S. A. M., Kanda, K., Lee, R. B., Obayashi, Y., Watanabe, H., & Tamashiro, H. (2011). Prevalence and Carrier Status of Leptospirosis in Smallholder Dairy Cattle and Peridomestic Rodents in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 11(8), 1041–1047. https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2010.0153