CANINE LEPTOSPIROSIS IN CALCUTTA
By B. M. DAS GUPTA and R. L. SEN, from the Department of Protozoology, School of
Tropical Medicine, Calcutta
(Received for publication on 10 July 1944)
(With Plate II)
LEPTOSPIRA ICTEROHAEMORRHAGIAE* was
discovered by Inada and Ido [1915] who
observed the organism in the blood and
tissues of patients suffering from Weil's
disease. A year later, Uhlenhuth and
Fromme described a case of infective
jaundice in the dog with Leptospirae in
the liver and suggested the possibility of
a connection between the disease in the
dog and Weil's disease of man. Since
then leptospiral disease in dogs has been
recorded by various workers in different
parts of the world. In localities where
canine leptospirosis exists, two types of
the disease are usually noted:—(1) A
disease identical with Weil's disease in
man and accompanied by jaundice, the
causal organism being L. icterohaemor-
rhagiae. (2) Another type which is more
frequent, L. canicola being the infective
agent. The disease caused by L. ictero-
haemorrhagiae usually occurs in young
dogs, and runs an acute course, and
jaundice is a prominent feature, whereas
the disease caused by L. canicola runs a
more chronic course and is characterized
by uraemic symptoms, and in most cases
jaundice is absent. Moreover, other types
of Leptospirae, especially L. hebdomadis
of Akiyami A type, have been known to
occur in the dog [Fletcher, 1927].
In India, Ayyar [1932] described an
outbreak of leptospiral jaundice among
the Madras hounds. Of the 12 dogs
examined post mortem by this worker,
the liver and kidney substance of only one
animal showed forms indistinguishable
from Leptospira and out of 31 guinea-
* The organism was named Spirochaeta icterohaemor-
rhagiae by its discoverers. Later on, when its morpho-
logy was studied by Noguchi, it was found to be so
distinctive that a new genua was established and the
organism was renamed Leptospira icterohaemorrhagiae.
pigs inoculated with different materials
from these dogs only on two occasions
were Leptospirae definitely revealed in
the liver. Sera of 4 dogs which survived
were tested at the Medical Research
Institute, Kualalumpur, and it was found
that all these specimens reacted with the
classical L. icterohaemorrhagiae. It is
rather unfortunate that it was not possi
ble to obtain a culture of the causal
organism in any ease, although there was
ample opportunity in that quite a number
of animals was involved in this outbreak.
PRESENST INVESTIGATION
In February last Major General W.C.
Paton informed the senior author that his
dog was suddenly taken ill, developed
jaundice and died within three or four
days of the onset, which aroused the suspi-
cion that leptospiral disease probably
exists in Calcutta. It may be recalled
here that the occurrence of human leptos-
pirosis has already been reported in this
city [Das Gupta & Chopra, 1937].
On 24-3-1944 (about a month or so
after the death of General Paton's dog),
a Dachsund pup, aged 5½ months, became
acutely ill, refused all food in the morning
and took a little in the afternoon only to
vomit immediately after.
25-3-44 Passed loose stools containing
blood. Tempeature 99°F.
26-3-44 There was frequent vomiting
and the vomited matter con-
tained
blood; conjunctivae
slightly icteric.
27-3-44 Vomiting persisted; jaundice
more marked.
28-3-44 Developed intense jaundice and
difficulty of respiration. The
animal appeared almost mori-
bund.
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