Leptospirosis in Ruminants in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: A Serological Survey with Mixed Methods to Identify Risk Factors

Abstract

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease occurring worldwide with reproductive symptoms and production losses in livestock, while humans can suffer fatal renal failure. In Yogyakarta Special Province, Indonesia, there have been several outbreaks with high case fatality, demonstrating the public health importance, but there is limited understanding of the epidemiology. This study used an EcoHealth approach to ensure transdisciplinarity and community participation. Seroprevalence of Leptospira in animals was studied between October 2011 and May 2013 in 15 villages. Serum samples from 1404 cattle and 60 small ruminants were screened by a Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT), first in pools, and then the individual positive samples were identified. Focus group discussions including farmers, village officials, and official stakeholders were used to explore knowledge and behavior of zoonotic diseases, particularly leptospirosis. Two small ruminants were seropositive for Leptospira icterohemorrhagiae. From the cattle, 3.7% were seropositive, and the most common serovars were Leptospira hardjo, followed by L. icterohemorrhagiae. Out of all farms, 5.6% had at least one positive cattle. Risk factor analyses showed that the risk of the farm being seropositive increased if the farmer used water from an open source, or if farming was not the main occupation. This study showed the presence of Leptospira spp. in ruminants in Yogyakarta and identified use of open water as a risk factor for the livestock. We also observed that the knowledge related to leptospirosis was low, and risky farm management practices were commonly employed.

Leptospirosis in rats and livestock in Bantul and Gunungkidul district, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

“…The potential for transmission of leptospirosis from cattle to humans, especially stocks farmers, needs particular consideration. Importantly, the study results in Kulonprogo district revealed that most stock farmers still do not have adequate knowledge about Leptospira [23].…”

“…The prevalence of cattle infected with Leptospira was 3.7%, while that of small ruminants was 3.3%. The most dominant serovars found were Hardjo and Icterohemorrhagie [23]. Kulonprogo district is another district in Yogyakarta Province and has similarities in geography, environment, and the techniques used by farmers in managing livestock, which makes it similar to Bantul and Gunungkidul.…”

“…The Special Region of Yogyakarta Province has reported incidents of leptospirosis in the previous 5 years [23]. Two districts: Gunungkidul and Bantul Available at www.veterinaryworld.org/Vol.15/June-2022/7.pdf continue to be recognized for endemic leptospirosis.…”

Going Micro in Leptospirosis Kidney Disease

“…Nested PCR also helps in detecting more specific and sensitive DNA sites with additional sets of primers [ 86 , 87 ]. However, current trends for leptospirosis diagnosis are the use of both serological and molecular techniques, such as PCR and ELISA (easier than the gold standard serological MAT), for resource-limited countries [ 88 , 89 ]. Additionally, the LAMP technique [ 90 ] to detect a 16S rRNA gene (rrs), is a cost-effective, rapid and high-yield for detecting the pathogenic leptospires in the urine.…”

A case–control study of agricultural and behavioral factors associated with leptospirosis in Vietnam

“…A number of risk factors for getting leptospirosis were identified in many publications elsewhere, in which factors related to behavioral and agricultural characteristics such as being a farmer, using open water source, health practices are significant in developing countries [15][16][17][18][19][20].…”