Serological survey of leptospirosis among environmental sanitation workers in an urban locality in southern Brazil

Abstract

Sera from 386 environmental sanitation workers, concerned with water supply, drains and drainage galleries, sewers, garbage collection and road sweepers, were examined for leptospiral agglutinins by the microscopic agglutination test. Altogether 40 of the 386 workers (10.4%) were positive to one or more serovars; however, the difference in seropositivity between the professional categories was not significant (p >; 0.05). Twelve serovars were recorded among the seropositive workers with predominance of L. castelonis and L. australis; but the difference between the serovars was not statistically significant (p >; 0.05). Of the seropositive workers, 86.9% had agglutination titres >; 100 and < 400; the rates for titres 100 and 400 were higher than 800, 1,600 and 3,200 (p < 0.05).