MOLECULAR DETECTION OF Leptospira IN URINE SAMPLES OF DOGS NATURALLY INFECTED

Abstract

Leptospirosis is an important zoonosis caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. The diversity and multiplicity of symptoms may complicate the final diagnosis and is often necessary to use laboratory tests. The objective was to evaluate the use of molecular diagnosis of Leptospira spp. in the urine of dogs with clinical suspicion of leptospirosis. Were analyzed 15 urine samples from dogs treated in routine UESC Veterinary Hospital and the Center for Zoonosis Control from Ilheus, Bahia, of which two (13.3%) were positive by PCR and had suggestive signs of leptospirosis. It was found that the urine samples that were stored at -20 ° C and without buffering no DNA amplification, ocorred while the samples that were processed immediately without buffering too generated a 285 bp amplified with specific Leptospira spp. in accordance with the G1 and G2 primers used. PCR can be recommended as a complementary diagnostic method of leptospirosis.