What Is Dog Leptospirosis?
Leptospirosis is a disease that infects a wide variety of species, including dogs and humans. Veterinary advice and treatment are usually important when dogs become infected. This disease is caused by Leptospira bacteria. Bacteria are microscopic, single
celled organisms that can be either be beneficial and crucial to a living organism’s
health or cause serious illness or disease. In the case of the Leptospira
bacteria, it is a very dangerous microorganism that can cause a wide variety of
health issues in the form of Leptospirosis in dogs. By understanding the
bacteria at fault and what it does to the body of a dog, a dog owner can be
prepared to recognize the warning signs and seek help. See
Dog Leptospirosis Symptoms for more information regarding the
symptoms of the disease, or ask your veterinarian for a guide or pamphlet with information covering the details and treatment of leptospirosis.
Understanding Leptospira Bacteria in Dogs
The name “Leptospira” is a combination of Greek and Latin roots. “Leptos” is Greek
for fin or thin, while “Spira” is Latin for coil. This translates into a
bacterium that is thin, yet coiled. The name of most bacteria strains results
from their appearance or behaviors. The Leptospira bacteria are actually a
genus made up of twenty different species, which many are unaware of. These
twenty species are divided into three different groups: Pathogenic Leptospira,
Opportunistic Leptospira, and Non-Pathogenic Leptospira.
The Leptospira bacteria in dogs require a source of food to grow and reproduce like
all other living creatures. This group of bacteria requires a supply of carbon
based energy; which is obtained through a host animal such as an adult dog or
puppy. When Leptospirosis affects canines, the bacterium sustains itself with
long chain fatty acids. This bacterium also requires a source of iron, which it
generally finds with heme. Heme is attached to almost all of the iron within
the body, and it is a component of hemoglobin (which in turn is a component of
red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen molecules). Therefore,
Leptospirosis can infect the circulatory and respiratory system as well as the
other health issues.
Preventing
Leptospirosis in Dogs outlines the ways that canines become infected with
this disease, so that owners can minimize the risk of infection.
How Long Does a Leptospirosis Infection Take to Affect a
Canine?
Once a canine comes into contact with the Leptospira bacteria, the incubation period
will range from two days to twenty days. This long range for the incubation of
Leptospirosis is due to the twenty different species of the bacteria that are
within the Leptospira genus. Since each species is different, care must be
taken to prevent and treat the Leptospirosis infection before it poses a severe
health threat to dogs. Regardless of the age of a dog or puppy, the breed of
the canine, or the size of a dog, Leptospira bacteria can infect them. Male or
female dogs are equally susceptible to this illness as well. Usually, healthier
dogs can fight off onset symptoms of this disease much faster than emaciated,
sickly, older, or younger dogs. After the incubation period, the warning signs
of this illness will set in; however, they could be quite vague at first.
What Conditions Does Leptospirosis Require to Thrive?
As with any other animal or organism, this bacteria requires a particular set of
environmental conditions to thrive and reproduce. Lepto bacteria need to be
located in a warm, moist environment. During the warmer, drier months of
summer, outbreaks of this type of infection become much less common in nature
as rainfall becomes sparse. When it comes to agricultural or urban areas,
watering of plants and animals is common which produces a favorable environment
for this type of bacteria to thrive.
Cold weather is usually fatal to many different strains of bacteria, and this type
is no exception. While it can still thrive within a host’s body, it will not
fare well in the outside environment. This lowers the risk of transmission from
one dog to another.
Since leptospirosis requires a host for feeding and favorable reproduction conditions, it will need
to be passed quickly from an infected animal to a dog. In areas with high
populations of animals, a lepto outbreak can become very likely should one
animal become ill. The bacteria feeds off of its host, and will infect the
wastes of the animal. Usually, the urine is the most likely waste to become infected
with these bacteria. If the urine dries, the bacteria die; without a moist
environment, it will not survive.
High Risk Conditions for Contraction of Dog Leptospirosis
For dogs, two of the most high risk conditions for the contraction of canine Leptospirosis
include wet areas and a high animal population. When both of these occur
together, this type of bacteria can become highly prolific and infectious.
·
With warm, wet areas being highly favorable to
Leptospira bacteria, standing water can be particularly risky. Stagnant water
that has been trafficked by many animals, especially animals that are infected,
carries an excessively high risk of transmission to dogs. During the springtime
and summertime dogs should be kept away from stagnant water. If the dog has
access to a cattle pond, the owner should verify that the cattle in the area
have not contracted Leptospirosis.
·
As with most other infectious illnesses, the
potential of an outbreak increases with large animal populations within a small
area. Should one animal come into contact with this disease, it can very easily
be transmitted to other animals, such as canines, that may be in the vicinity.
For More Information:
Please read through the multiple posts on our blog to find out how this condition is
treated, the symptoms of canine Leptospirosis, and much more. This is an
overview of the bacteria in itself, and we have much more information available.
Thank you for reading and feel free to link back to us!
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The name “Leptospira” is a combination of Greek and Latin roots. “Leptos” is Greek
for fin or thin, while “Spira” is Latin for coil. This translates into a
bacterium that is thin, yet coiled. The name of most bacteria strains results
from their appearance or behaviors. The Leptospira bacteria are actually a
genus made up of twenty different species, which many are unaware of. These
twenty species are divided into three different groups: Pathogenic Leptospira,
Opportunistic Leptospira, and Non-Pathogenic Leptospira.
The Leptospira bacteria in dogs require a source of food to grow and reproduce like
all other living creatures. This group of bacteria requires a supply of carbon
based energy; which is obtained through a host animal such as an adult dog or
puppy. When Leptospirosis affects canines, the bacterium sustains itself with
long chain fatty acids. This bacterium also requires a source of iron, which it
generally finds with heme. Heme is attached to almost all of the iron within
the body, and it is a component of hemoglobin (which in turn is a component of
red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen molecules). Therefore,
Leptospirosis can infect the circulatory and respiratory system as well as the
other health issues. Preventing
Leptospirosis in Dogs outlines the ways that canines become infected with
this disease, so that owners can minimize the risk of infection.
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