Epizootiology of leptospirosis in some wild mammals in western Oregon

Graduation date: 1979Two hundred thirteen mammals were captured on two study areas\ud between April 1976 and August 1977. Samples of urine and kidney tissue\ud from 202 mammals were cultured on media suitable for leptospiral growth.\ud Leptospiral organisms were not isolated from tissue cultures. Sera\ud from 88 mammals were examined by the microscopic agglutination-lysis\ud test (MA). Seventeen percent of the sera examined had significant\ud titers (1:100 or greater) to either Leptospira canicola or L. grippotyphosa.\ud Eight striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) had positive sera;\ud titers ranged from 1:100 to 1:6400. Four opossums (Didelphis virginiana)\ud had positive sera, with titers which ranged from 1:100 to 1:1600. Two\ud eastern cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) had positive titers;\ud one serum reacted to L. canicola at 1:100 and one reacted to L. grippotyphosa\ud at 1:100. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) serum reacted to L. canicola\ud at a titer of 1:200. This is the first reported evidence of leptospirosis\ud in mammals other than rodents and livestock in Oregon. There was\ud no significant relationships between reactor rates and the sex or age\ud of the mammals, or the study area on which the mammals were captured.\ud There was a significant increase (P