Prevalence of leptospirosis among cats in kelantan

Leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease found in tropical countries including Malaysia which infects both humans and domestic animals. It is caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp. which causes subclinical infection and shedding of the pathogen through urine. This prompted further research to evaluate the zoonotic implications of feline leptospirosis in cats exposed to environmental risk factors in Kelantan. Hence, this study aims to determine the prevalence of leptospirosis and infecting Leptospira serovars among cats in Kelantan. A total of 30 blood samples (whole blood – 30 and serum – 26) were collected from cats presenting to selected veterinary clinics in Kelantan. Serum samples were tested with Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) and whole blood samples were subjected to Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Based on the results, all of the cats were tested negative by PCR. Four cats (15.38.%) were tested positive for MAT with the cut-off antibody titre of ≥1:100. Of the 04 MAT positives, 03 were positive for serovar Canicola with a titre of 1:100 and 01 cat had a titre of 1:200 for serovar Bataviae. The detection of Leptospira specific antibodies within the study cohort holds significant implications for both public and animal health. The positive serological results pertaining to Leptospira are pivotal in contributing vital insights into local disease epidemiology, signalling a potential elevated risk of feline leptospirosis. These findings serve as a foundational resource for developing preventative strategies against feline leptospirosis in Kelantan, Malaysia. In conclusion, there were 15.38% seroprevalence of leptospirosis among cats that were enrolled for the study in Kelantan.
Keywords: Leptospirosis, Feline, MAT, PCR