ABSTRACT
With the aim of surveying the prevalence and the risk factors for leptospirosis in dogs in the rural area of Pelotas, a study through sinple random sampling by conclomerates was performed. Four hundred and eighty nine serological samples from dogs from 213 properties were examined. Samples were submitted to the Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT), where 13 (2.66%) of them presented a positive result with antibody titers varying from 50 to 800 for icterohaemorragiae, australis, copenhageni, pyrogenes, sentot and canicola serovars. There was a higher incidence of infection in dogs from properties situated near the BR 116 and BR 392 roads, where the altitude varies from 0 to 100 m, the lowest altitudes of the area. The main risk factors for leptospirosis were contact of the dogs with swamps (O.R. = 7.43), ponds (O.R. = 5.27) and altitude (O.R. = 7.09).
KEY WORDS:
Leptospira; dogs; rural area; risk factors.