[Leptospirosis (author's transl)].

Abstract

Leptospirosis is one of the most widely distributed zoonoses. Dogs are the pets in which leptospirosis is most common. The use of diagnostic laboratory procedures is discussed. During the first seven days of the disease, leptospires may be detected in the blood and organs; after the seventh day, they are detectable in the kidney and possibly also in the urine. Examination of the serum for antibodies is possible after the first week of the disease. A clinical diagnosis is often hard to establish. Unlike what used to be the case, infections with L. icterohaemorrhagiae are more common today than those with L. canicola. Infections are more common in male dogs than they are in bitches. In addition to antibiotic therapy, preferably consisting in administration of penicillin and streptomycin, symptomatic treatment is useful. Vaccination should be performed in the spring. Dog are probably of minor importance as a source of human infection in the Netherlands.