Use of Microscopic Agglutination Test (Mat) For the Diagnosis of Leptospirosis in Roof Rats (Rattus Rattus) in Brazil

Abstract:
Leptospirosis is a zoonosis caused by a bacterium of the genus Leptospira in animals and humans; the latter are accidental hosts. A zoonotic disease is transmitted from animal to animal and from animal to man. The city of São Paulo, through the Office of Citizen Service (CAS), has recorded an increasing number of complaints from citizenships in the order of 400% from 2004 to 2008 on the presence of rodents. During this same period, 750 confirmed cases of leptospirosis and 143 deaths were reported. To evaluate infected rodents the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) was used in 40 sampled Rattus rattus from subjected to flood areas. Rodents were collected by Tomahawk® traps. None of the 40 blood serum samples of animals of this study was positive for any of the 22 Leptospira spp.