Comparative study of four saprophytic leptospira strains as screening antigens in the serodiagnosis of leptospirosis in water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis).

The profitability of four saprophytic leptospira strains (Buenos Aires, Patoc 1, Rufino and São Paulo) as polyvalent antigen in the serodiagnosis of leptospirosis in water buffaloes was studied by the microscopic agglutination test. From 104 examined sera tested against 16 pathogenic leptospira serotypes, 52 were positives and 52 were negatives. The results led to the conclusion that from four studied strains, Buenos Aires strain showed the best results when utilized in screening tests for the serodiagnosis of leptospirosis in water buffaloes. The other three strains showed a good specificity but their sensibilities were poor and therefore should not be recommended for diagnosing water buffalo leptospirosis.