Human Hardjo leptospirosis detected in the Slovak Republic by using serum antibody absorption test.

OBJECTIVE

The study was aimed at the discovery of the possible presence of the human Hardjo leptospirosis in Slovakia.

BACKGROUND

Throughout the world, there is a considerable number of publications confirming the presence of this zoonotic infection in domestic animals. On the contrary, scarcely more than a dozen of reports dealing with this occupational disease in humans was published till now. Moreover, the results of them are not convincing in all cases.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Patients´ and dairy cattle serum samples with detected antibodies against the Leptospira strains belonging to four different serovars of the serogroup Sejroe known to be present in Slovakia (i. e. Sejroe, Istrica, Saxkoebing, Polonica) and also reacting with serovar Hardjo strains were examined by using the serum-agglutinin absorption tests in order to determine the etiological agent of the illness on serovar level.

RESULTS

The Hardjo infection was unequivocally confirmed approximately in 1/5 of patients´sera and in 3/5 of dairy cattle sera.

CONCLUSION

The AATs are useful tools for detection of Hardjo leptospirosis what is a necessary condition for determination of appropriate epidemiological measures related to this occupational disease. As our knowledge, this methodological approach was not used by other authors till now (Tab. 4, Fig. 1, Ref. 19).