A study on seroprevalence and molecular detection of canine leptospirosis was
carried out in a dog population (randomly selected n=80 dogs) from an animal shelter X. All
the dogs in Shelter X appeared clinically healthy. Eighty blood samples were obtained and
their serum were serologically examined using Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) against
10 Leptospira serovars. Plasma samples obtained were subjected to Polymerase Chain Reaction
(PCR) assay. Three out of 80 dogs (3.8%) tested positive for L. bataviae based on MAT at a
titer of 1:80. The seroprevalence of 9 other Leptospira serovars was not evident in this study.
All the dogs tested negative against leptospirosis with PCR assay. In conclusion, canine
leptospirosis was detected in dogs in this animal shelter. L. bataviae was identified as the
infecting serovar. To our knowledge, this is the second report of serovar Bataviae infection in
dogs in Malaysia. The 3 dogs in our study could possibly be a source of leptospiral infection
to other dogs and may shed the bacteria into the environment. This serovar is not available in
canine vaccination programs, therefore the dogs are not protected from this disease. Further
investigation is warranted to determine whether the infected dogs are carriers of this serovar.