Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease · Published 2026-05-26 · DOI 10.3390/tropicalmed11060145
Solon Alberto Orlando, Naomi Mora Jaramillo, Ariana Montenegro Pesántez, Melissa Joseth Carvajal-Capa, Jose Julián Zuñiga-Velarde, Silvia Tafur, Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by spirochete bacteria of the genus <i>Leptospira</i>, with a wide global distribution. In Ecuador, leptospirosis is endemic, particularly in low-resource tropical areas, and multiple animal reservoirs have been identified either in rural or urban areas, including stray dogs. In this study, a total of 81 domestic dogs presenting clinical manifestations compatible with leptospirosis were recruited at the Municipal Center for Animal Welfare in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in 2023. A survey regarding clinical, demographic, and environmental risk factors was filled in by every dog’s owner; urine and blood samples were collected for pathogenic <i>Leptospira</i> diagnosis by qPCR for <i>lipL32</i>, <i>rrs</i>, and <i>secY</i> gene targets. A very high (62.96%) positivity rate for <i>Leptospira</i> infection was found. Almost 90% of the dogs were not vaccinated against <i>Leptospira</i>. Although the animals exhibited multiple clinical signs, none showed a statistically significant association with <i>Leptospira</i> positivity, confirming the nonspecific presentation of the disease and its potential for misdiagnosis. The consumption of bulk food emerged as a significant environmental risk factor only in the multivariate logistic regression and not in the univariate analysis, suggesting the need for improved food safety practices. Moreover, we reported very frequent close-contact behaviors between owners and dogs. Overall, our study underscores the potential role of owned urban dogs as reservoirs of <i>Leptospira</i> in the city of Guayaquil in Ecuador, emphasizing the need for public health policies to increase awareness and improve diagnosis in domestic animals under a comprehensive One Health vision.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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Orlando, S., Jaramillo, N., Pesántez, A., et al. (2026). High Positivity Rate for Leptospira Infection in Symptomatic Urban Owned Dogs in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed11060145