Seroprevalence of Leptospira Antibodies in Cattle Slaughtered for Sale in Some North Central States of Nigeria

Leptospirosis, a disease of livestock, has great economic impact on the agricultural industry because it causes abortions, stillbirths, infertility, reduced milk production and death in livestock. Moreover, when successfully transmitted to man, it may result in multisystem febrile illness, with hepatic, renal and pulmonary involvement and high mortality rates. This research determined the sero-epidemiology of Leptospira antibodies using, Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) in slaughtered cattle in selected states of North Central Nigeria. A prevalence rate of 57.9% for Leptospira antibodies were recorded for the slaughtered cattle. The most prevalent circulating serovars in the study locations were Hardjo 65 (27.8%), followed by Grippotyphosa 60 (25.6%). Older cattle were more likely to be seropositive, p = 0.000002. However, no significance was observed in seropositive rates between bulls and cows. The data generated by this study will help provide baseline information, as well as give latest indications about the extent of the problem in the study areas, assist in control and prevention of the condition in cattle and ultimately disease in the susceptible population.