| Poster |
Erin Greuel
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
Subject Listing - Biology
Advisor: Dr. Peter Mesner
Friday, Poster Session 5, Presentation Kiosk 33 C, Health & Fitness Center
A PCR-BASED SURVERY OF LEPTOSPIRA INFECTIONS IN CANINE PATIENTS IN WHITEWATER, WISCONSIN.
Leptospira is a genus of bacteria that attacks dogs, rodents, horses, cattle, and humans. This disease is especially prevalent in wild or outdoor canines. Common symptoms of the disease are shivering, dehydration, and death, often due to kidney failure. In most cases, no symptoms are shown, making asymptomatic canines prime targets to pass the disease on to other animals or unsuspecting humans. Five pathogenic strains most commonly affect canines, including L. canicola, L. icterohaemorrhagiae, L. grippotyphosa, L. pomona, and L. bratislava. One of the goals of this experiment is to attempt to determine the level of prevalence of this disease in the Whitewater area. Several tests can be used to determine the presence of leptospires, including the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), antibody titers, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The MAT involves using dark field microscopy which requires equipment that is currently unavailable in this area. Testing antibody titers can lead to false positives because titers may remain high for weeks after a previous infection. Therefore, PCR testing has been used in this experiment to detect the presence of leptospiral bacteria in urine and blood samples taken from area canines. PCR uses the three steps of denaturation, annealing, and extension to amplify the amount of DNA in a sample. Clinical samples have been compared to known leptospiral DNA to detect positive samples. The overall results of the survey provide answers to two main questions posed at the beginning of this experiment. One goal was to ascertain whether PCR testing is a practical procedure for diagnosing leptospiral patients. Second, the results help indicate the level of prevalence of leptospirosis in the area. This will inform veterinary medical personnel and dog owners of the risk of disease to animals and themselves.
Advisor: Dr. Peter Mesner, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, Whitewater, WI