Background: Leptospirosis is one of the most commonly neglected zoonoses in developing nations including Tanzania. This study aims to find out the seroprevalence of leptospirosis in rodents, shrews, and domestic animals in different regions in Unguja Island, Tanzania.  Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from January to April 2022. The blood samples were collected from rodents and shrews (n=248), cattle (n=247), goats (n=130), sheep (n=32), and dogs (n=80). The blood samples were allowed to clot in a slanted position and serum samples were harvested. A microscopic agglutination test (MAT) was performed on the sera to check for leptospiral antibodies using five Leptospira serovars as antigens (Sokoine, Lora, Pomona, Grippotyphosa and Hebdomadis). Results: The overall seropositivity of leptospiral antibodies was 9.68% in rodents and shrews, 14.57% in cattle, 10.01% in goats, 31.25% in sheep, and 26.25% in dogs. The seropositivity of Leptospira varied significantly with animal species (OR=1.9, 95 % CI:1.1-3.3, p=0.03). The most frequently detected serovar was Sokoine (27.89%), followed by Pomona (19.47%), Lora (18.26%), Grippotyphosa (17.98%), and Hebdomadis (8.16%), respectively. Conclusion: Our study suggests that further research should be conducted to find out factors of high seropositivity of leptospiral in Unguja. Vaccination of domestic animals with vaccines against local Leptospira strains should be encouraged, and rodent control and public awareness should be emphasized.

Limited understanding exists concerning leptospirosis in Zanzibar. The objective of this study is to evaluate the degree of knowledge and awareness of leptospirosis within the urban and peri-urban populations of Unguja. A cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing semi-structured questionnaires from January to April 2022. Two hundred respondents were randomly selected (130 males and 70 females) aged between 18 and 89 years. Descriptive analysis was employed to assess the main trends in knowledge and awareness, and χ2 analysis was utilized to determine associations between demographic characteristics with respondents’ knowledge and awareness. The majority of respondents (64%) lacked awareness of leptospirosis' etiology, but a significant proportion of respondents had a favorable attitude (68.6%) towards leptospirosis compared to their average knowledge and awareness (35%) and practices (29.3%). Nonetheless, the livestock keeper, farmers, fishermen, and healthcare providers had low levels of knowledge and awareness. The findings also demonstrated that males had a strong association with occupational physical activities, while educational level was associated with preventive practices. Living in urban or peri-urban areas was significantly linked with the respondents' practices. The study's outcomes demonstrated low levels of community knowledge and awareness regarding leptospirosis' etiology, mode of transmission, and symptoms among livestock keepers, farmers, fishermen, and healthcare providers. Although most respondents had a favorable attitude, their low level of knowledge and poor practices indicate that supplementing a positive attitude with enhanced knowledge and awareness is necessary to promote individual engagement in preventive measures.

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