Erschienen in:
01.11.2015 | Original Article
Association between serum copper concentration and the risk of bovine leptospirosis
verfasst von:
Elham Mohammadi, Ehsanollah Sakhaee
Erschienen in:
Comparative Clinical Pathology
|
Ausgabe 6/2015
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Abstract
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease found in nearly all parts of the world. This disease is exacerbated by a weakened immune system. Copper is an important component of the immune system. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of copper deficiency on leptospirosis occurrence. A total of 260 serum samples were randomly collected from eight industrial and semi-industrial dairy farms from center and southeast of Iran. Microscopic agglutination test to check leptospirosis was performed. Serum copper level was analyzed using an atomic absorption spectrometer. Fifty-eight serum samples had detectable antibodies against at least one serovar of Leptospira interrogans at a dilution of ≥1:100, and among the positive cows, 55 samples were copper deficient. In contrast, there were 202 serologically negative subjects, 29 of these samples had copper deficiency. Copper deficiency can weaken immunity and thus exacerbate the incidence of leptospirosis.