Leptospirosis in animals and humans in selected areas of Tanzania

A serosurvey was carried out in selected areas of Tanzania to determine the prevalence of leptospirosis in animals and humans. Sera of rodents (n = 537), cattle (n = 374), dogs (n=208) and humans (n=375) were screened for antibodies by microagglutination (MAT) procedure. The areas studied included swampy or irrigated sugar cane and rice fields (Mtibwa-Morogoro, Sangasanga-Morogoro, Lower Moshi), highlands (Moshi Highlands, Lushoto, Mbizi Forests-Rukwa), pastoral plateaus (Singida, Mwanza, Mbeya, Mbinga), and a Lake basin (Lake Rukwa). Leptospira interrogans serovars icterohaemorrhagiae, hardjo, canicola, pyrogenes and grippotyphosa served as reference antigens in the MAT assay. Antibodies to serovar icterohaemorrhagiae were demonstrated in 1.9\% of the sera of examined rodents (Mastomys natalensis, Rattus rattus). Cattle sera showed the presence of antibodies to serovars hardjo (5.6\%) and pyrogenes (1.9\%) respectively, and dog sera showed antibodies to serovars icterohaemorrhagiae (37 \%), and canicola (0.5 \%) respectively. A single sample of the human sera agglutinated with serovar grippotyphosa. In an attempt to isolate leptospires from urine of 1021 cattle at a slaughterhouse in Morogoro, 7 isolates were obtained. This study has shown that leptospirosis is a potential public health hazard in certain areas of Tanzania.