Editing Leptospirosis (section)

==Other animals==
[[File:Liver of an unknown animal infected with leptospirosis.png|thumb|upright=1.3|alt=Unknown animal liver showing blackish necrotic patches from leptospirosis infection | Liver of an unknown animal with multiple blackish [[Necrosis|necrotic patches]] secondary to leptospirosis infection.]]
[[File:Mediastinum and two lungs of a diseased canine infected with leptospirosis.png|thumb|upright=1.3|alt=Canine lungs with multiple bleeding spots due to leptospirosis | Lungs of a canine with multiple bleeding spots due to leptospirosis.]]
Infected animals can have no, mild, or severe symptoms;<ref name="Center2013">{{cite web|url=http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets/pdfs/leptospirosis.pdf|title=Leptospirosis|date=October 2013|work=The Center for Food Security and Public Health|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141124082710/http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets/pdfs/leptospirosis.pdf|archive-date=24 November 2014|access-date=8 November 2014}}</ref> the presenting symptoms may vary by the type of animal.<ref name="Ellis2015" /><ref name="Center2013" /> In some animals the bacteria live in the reproductive tract, leading to transmission during mating.<ref name="Ellis2015" />

Animals also present with similar clinical features when compared to humans. Clinical signs can appear in&nbsp;5–15 days in dogs. The incubation period can be prolonged in cats. Leptospirosis can cause abortions after&nbsp;2–12 weeks in cattle, and&nbsp;1–4 weeks of infection in pigs. The illness tends to be milder in reservoir hosts. The most commonly affected organs are the kidneys, liver, and reproductive system, but other organs can be affected.<ref name="Spickler 2013"/> In dogs, the acute clinical signs include fever, [[loss of appetite]], shivering, muscle pain, weakness, and urinary symptoms. Vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain may also present. Petechiae and ecchymoses may be seen on mucous membranes. Bleeding from the lungs may also be seen in dogs. In chronic presentations, the affected dog may have no symptoms. In animals that have died of leptospirosis, their kidneys may be swollen with grey and white spots, [[Mottle|mottling]], or scarring. Their liver may be enlarged with areas of [[Necrosis|cell death]]. Petechiae and ecchymoses may be found in various organs.<ref name="Spickler 2013"/><ref name=Klopfleisch11>{{cite journal | vauthors = Klopfleisch R, Kohn B, Plog S, Weingart C, Nöckler K, Mayer-Scholl A, Gruber AD | title = An emerging pulmonary haemorrhagic syndrome in dogs: similar to the human leptospiral pulmonary haemorrhagic syndrome? | journal = Veterinary Medicine International | volume = 2010 | pages = 928541 | date = December 2010 | pmid = 21274452 | pmc = 3025382 | doi = 10.4061/2010/928541 }}</ref> [[Vasculitis|Inflammation of the blood vessels]], inflammation of the heart, meningeal layers covering the brain and spinal cord, and [[uveitis]] are also possible.<ref name="Ellis2015"/> [[Equine recurrent uveitis]] (ERU) is the most common disease associated with ''Leptospira'' infection in horses in North America and may lead to blindness.<ref name="Zuerner2015">{{cite journal |vauthors=Zuerner RL |title=Host response to ''Leptospira'' infection |journal=Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology |volume=387 |pages=223–50 |date=2015 |pmid=25388137 |doi=10.1007/978-3-662-45059-8_9 |isbn=978-3-662-45058-1 }}</ref><ref name="Divers2019">{{cite journal |vauthors=Divers TJ, Chang YF, Irby NL, Smith JL, Carter CN |title=Leptospirosis: An important infectious disease in North American horses |journal=Equine Veterinary Journal |volume=51 |issue=3 |pages=287–292 |date=May 2019 |pmid=30629756 |doi=10.1111/evj.13069 |s2cid=58578433 }}</ref> ERU is an autoimmune disease involving antibodies against ''Leptospira'' proteins LruA and LruB cross-reacting with eye proteins.<ref name="Zuerner2015"/> Live ''Leptospira'' can be recovered from the aqueous or vitreous fluid of many horses with ''Leptospira''-associated ERU.<ref name="Divers2019"/> Risk of death or disability in infected animals varies depending upon the species and age of the animals. In adult pigs and cattle, reproductive signs are the most common signs of leptospirosis. Up to&nbsp;40% of cows may have a spontaneous abortion. Younger animals usually develop more severe disease. About 80%&nbsp;of dogs can survive with treatment, but the survival rate is reduced if the lungs are involved.<ref name="Spickler 2013"/>

ELISA and microscopic agglutination tests are most commonly used to diagnose leptospirosis in animals. The bacteria can be detected in blood, urine, and milk or liver, kidney, or other tissue samples by using [[immunofluorescence]] or [[Immunohistochemistry|immunohistochemical]] or polymerase chain reaction techniques. Silver staining or immunogold silver staining is used to detect ''Leptospira'' in tissue sections. The organisms stain poorly with [[Gram stain]]. Dark-field microscopy can be used to detect ''Leptospira'' in body fluids, but it is neither sensitive nor specific in detecting the organism.<!-- <ref name="Spickler 2013"/> --> A positive culture for leptospirosis is definitive, but the availability is limited, and culture results can take&nbsp;13–26 weeks for a result, limiting its utility.<!-- <ref name="Spickler 2013"/> --> Paired acute and convalescent samples are preferred for serological diagnosis of leptospirosis in animals. A positive serological sample from an aborted fetus is also diagnostic of leptospirosis.<ref name="Spickler 2013"/>

Various antibiotics such as doxycycline, penicillins, [[dihydrostreptomycin]], and [[streptomycin]] have been used to treat leptospirosis in animals. Fluid therapy, blood transfusion, and respiratory support may be required in severe disease.<!-- <ref name="Spickler 2013"/> --> For horses with ERU, the primary treatment is with anti-inflammatory drugs.<ref name="Spickler 2013"/><ref name="Ellis2015"/>

Leptospirosis vaccines are available for animals such as pigs, dogs, cattle, sheep, and goats. Vaccines for cattle usually contain ''Leptospira'' serovar Hardjo and Pomona, for dogs, the vaccines usually contain serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae and Canicola.<!-- <ref name="Spickler 2013"/> --> Vaccines containing multiple serovars do not work for cattle as well as vaccines containing a single serovar, yet the multivalent vaccines continue to be sold.<ref name="Ellis2015"/> Isolation of infected animals and prophylactic antibiotics are also effective in preventing leptospirosis transmission between animals. Environmental control and sanitation also reduce transmission rates.<ref name="Spickler 2013"/><ref name="Ellis2015"/>
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