Detection of Leptospira in urine of apparently healthy dogs by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in Haryana, India

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. The organism can spread through the urine of infected animals, which can get into water or soil and can survive there for weeks to months. The study was undertaken to detect the pathogenic Leptospira in healthy dogs’ urinary shedding by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. To detect the pathogenic Leptospira organisms in dogs’ urinary shedding, 239 urine samples were collected from healthy dogs from April 2018 to March 2019 from different areas of Haryana. All the urine samples were processed for DNA extraction and qPCR technique was used to detect the presence of Leptospira. RESULTS: Out of 239 urine samples of dogs, none of the samples resulted in the detection of DNA of pathogenic Leptospira organisms. CONCLUSION: The present study indicated low risk of transmission of Leptospira organisms from dogs’ urine to human beings in Haryana.