Molecular Detection of Leptospira Infection in Meat Goat of Southern, Thailand

Abstract

Leptospirosis is a serious zoonotic disease causes by Leptospira spp. infection, and Thailand is an endemic area for both humans and animals. Infected animal such as cattle, sheep and goats can mostly be asymptomatic but can experience foetal abortions and stillbirths. Infected animals play a role in spreading the bacteria via urine. This study determined leptospirosis in meat goats of Southern Thailand by a molecular detection method. In total, 323 serum samples were collected from meat goats from representative provinces of Southern Thailand, namely Songkhla (179) and Yala (144), from April to June 2022 by the veterinarian of the Regional Livestock Health Unit 9, Songkhla, Thailand. Antibodies from previous infections were screened using the lepto-latex test. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeted the LipL32 gene, and overall positivity was 76.47% (247/322). There was no statistically significant difference between the results from Songkhla (76.54%) and Yala (76.39%). The LipL32 PCR indicated an overall positivity of 9.29% (30/323), positive samples from Yala (18.75%) were significantly more abundant than those from Songkhla (1.68%) (P<0.00001). This study indicates a low active infection with a high previous infection (seroprevalence) of leptospirosis in meat goats, suggesting the circulation of leptospirosis of meat goats in Southern Thailand. DNA sequencing for analysing the serovars distribution among goat is needed. Disease prevention via vaccination based on serovar in Thailand be considered. Moreover, molecular detection of leptospirosis be applied for surveillance at herd level, and farmers and persons in contact with goats should be aware of Leptospira infections.