U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research: Ames, IA
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    CareersSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Midwest Area Ames, Iowa National Animal Disease Center Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Greenlee, Justinitem
                                            Alt, Daviditem
                                            Bolin, Caroleitem
                                            Zuerner, Richarditem
                                            ANDREASEN, CLAIR - IA STATE UNIV
  Submitted to: American Journal of Veterinary Research
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 12/20/2004
                                    Publication  Date: 10/1/2005
                                    Citation: Greenlee, J.J., Alt, D.P., Bolin, C.A., Zuerner, R.L., Andreasen, C.B. 2005. Experimental canine Leptospirosis caused by Leptospira interrogans serovars Pomona and Bratislava. American Journal of Veterinary Research. 66(10):1816-1822.Interpretive Summary: An critical step in testing new vaccines is development of an infection challenge model.  No infection model for dogs using Leptospira interrogans serovars Pomona and Bratislava was available.  The goal of this study was to develop an method to study Leptospira infections in dogs with serovars Pomona and Bratislava.  Dogs challenged with L. interrogans serovar Pomona readily developed infections, while all attempts to infect dogs with L. interrogans serovar Bratislava were unsuccessful.  These results show serovar Pomona is an effective pathogen in dogs, but bring into question the importance of serovar Bratislava in canine leptospirosis.  Successful development of an infection model for serovar Pomona infection of dogs provides a means to test the efficacy of different vaccine formulations to prevent infections.  This study was the result of a cooperative research project between ARS, the Biotechnology Research and Development Corporation, and Iowa State University, aimed at developing better Leptospira vaccines for dogs.
                                Technical Abstract: The goal of this study was to develop an experimental infection model to study canine leptospirosis as a result of challenge with Leptospira interrogans serovars Pomona and Bratislava.  Eight-week-old female beagle dogs were randomly assigned to challenge or control groups. Challenge groups were inoculated on three successive days by conjunctival instillation of  5x107 cells of either L. interrogans serovar Pomona (n=12) or serovar Bratislava (n=12); control dogs (n=4) were inoculated with sterile leptospiral culture media. Clinical signs were recorded and clinical pathology assays and necropsies (7/timepoint) were done at 7, 10, 14, and 20 days post-inoculation (PI).  Infection could not be confirmed in any serovar Bratislava inoculated dog, and control dogs remained healthy throughout the experiment.  Positive culture and fluorescent antibody test results were confirmed in 92% (11/12) of serovar Pomona inoculated dogs.  Fever and lethargy starting at day 7 PI were the most common clinical signs in serovar Pomona infected dogs.  On day 10, gross lesions included multifocal renal and pulmonary hemorrhage and perirenal edema.  Serovar Pomona inoculated dogs had histopathologic lesions including hepatitis, interstitial nephritis, and pneumonia at 7, 10, 14, and 20 days PI.  Elevations in BUN, anion gap, and bilirubin occurred on days 10, 14, and 20 PI.  Platelet counts from culture positive dogs were decreased from baseline values on days 10, 12, and 14 PI.  Conjunctival inoculation with L. interrogans serovar Pomona resulted in a high rate of infection with concomitant hemorrhagic and inflammatory lesions of the kidneys, liver, and lungs.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov