First evidence of the leptospirosis natural foci of the serotype Saxkoebing in Austria.

The authors examined serologically and bacteriologically 129 wild living small mammals (9 species) in Neumarkt, in Styria. A total of 17 animals were positive (all Microtus agrestis), of these 10 serologically (6 with L. saxkoebing, 3 with L. grippotyphosa and 1 with L. sorexjalna) and 7 bacteriologically. Of the 7 isolated leptospirae-strains one did not survive up to typing, the 6 remaining were identified as L. saxkoebing. It is the first evidence of the existence of leptospirosis natural foci of the serovar saxkoebing in Austria and at the same time the first isolation of L. saxkoebing from Microtus agrestis in Central Europe. The serovar saxkoebing, which BORG-PETERSEN described in the year 1942 (1943) and isolated from the yellow-neck mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) is found in most European countries (KATHE and MOCHMANN, 1967), may, however not be found in some regions although its main reservoir, the yellow-neck mouse dwells, as SEBEK (1965) and SEBEK and ROSICKY (1974) drew attention to in Czechoslovakia. In Austria, in fact L. saxkoebing antibodies have been demonstrated in wild- and also domestic-animals (SEBEK, et. al., 1973b, 1976a, 1976b), however, a reliable proof of these serovars was not found.