Seroprevalence of Q-fever, Brucella and Leptospirosis in wild mammals, from rescue centers in Ecuador

Tropical and zoonotic diseases are usual and alarming problems in developing countries like Ecuador. Zoonotic diseases are transmitted from animals to humans through direct contact or food of animal origin, water, and the environment. People who live close to water streams, walking barefoot, and their pets living in close association with cattle and nature represent a high risk. Three bacteria-borne zoonotic diseases with high prevalence in Ecuador are Leptospirosis, Q-fever, and Brucellosis. Also, the high increments of illegal traffic of wildlife enhance the chances of zoonotic transmission from or towards wild animals. We evaluated sixty-four serum samples from 2 different wildlife rescue centers: Tena and Guayaquil, distributed in wild animals, and workers like veterinarians, biologists, and volunteers, who have had contact with the species. All samples are tested for seropositive Leptospira spp. to identify the seroprevalence using Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT). Previous results obtained from B. abortus and C. burnetii tests on the same subjects will also be considered. We aim with this project to identify infectious reservoirs in the wild and evaluate the potential zoonotic transmission from humans and domestic animals at mixed-used animal rescue centers. The results obtained indicate a very low prevalence of Brucellosis and Q fever but the presence on wild reservoirs. On the other hand, all subjects tested positive for MAT Leptospirosis agreeing with previous studies showing a high prevalence of this disease in Ecuador, particularly in the Coastal and Amazon region. Our results point out the need to develop a One Health policy for wild mammal conservation in Ecuador. To address two main issues: a) the public health risk associated with illegal wild animal traffic, b) the proper management of wild animals at rescue shelters.

• मुख्य लेखक: Rivera Herrera, Ariana Katiuska (author)
• स्वरूप: bachelorThesis
• भाषा: eng
• प्रकाशित: 2021
• विषय: Leptospirosis; Brucellosis; Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT); Fiebre Q; Vida silvestre; Q-fever; Wildlife
• ऑनलाइन पहुंच: http://repositorio.yachaytech.edu.ec/handle/123456789/369