A Preliminary Serological Survey for Leptospiral Agglutinins in Sheep and Goats of Kenya

Abstract

Ovine and caprine leptospirosis was first recognised in Kenya by Burdin et al. (1958). Ball (1966) recorded a 12.10% serological prevalence of caprine leptospirosis in 92 animals with the highest titres against serogroups Hebdomadis and Icterobaemorrhagiae. Later, Wanyangu et al. (1988) demonstrated a 4.16% serological prevalence of caprine leptospirosis on Rusinga Island located within Lake Victoria. Apart from these limited reports, there has been no further information on the prevalence of ovine and caprine leptospirosis in Kenya. This survey was carried out to determine the likely prevalences of the disease in these animal species obtained from various parts of Kenya.