Abstract
Protection against clinical disease and prevention of the renal carrier state remain the key objectives of vaccination against leptospirosis in the dog. In the present paper, groups of dogs were vaccinated twice with a commercial bacterin (EURICAN L) containing Leptospira interrogans serovars icterohaemorrhagiae and canicola and challenged with heterologous representatives of both serovars at 2 weeks (onset of immunity) or 14 months (duration of immunity) after the second vaccination. Control dogs were not vaccinated against leptospirosis and kept with the vaccinated dogs. The challenges, irrespective of the serovar, reliably produced clinical signs consistent with Leptospira infection in the control pups with up to 60% mortality. As expected clinical disease in the adult controls was less severe, but we were able to induce morbidity and mortality as well. Under these extreme challenge conditions, clinical signs in the vaccinated dogs were rare, and when observed, mild and transient in nature. Following experimental infection, 100% of the control pups and 83% of the adult controls became renal carriers. Despite the heavy challenges, none of the 18 vaccinated puppies (onset of immunity studies) and only 2 out of the 16 vaccinated adult dogs (duration of immunity studies) developed a renal carrier state. These results show that a primary course of two doses of EURICAN L provided quick onset and long-term protection against both clinical leptospirosis and the renal carrier stage. This vaccine should provide veterinarians with a powerful tool to prevent clinical disease in dogs and zoonotic transmission of leptospirosis to humans.