Authors : Khairani-Bejo , A. R. Bahaman S., M. Zamri-Saad and A. R. Mutalib
Abstract: The survival time of Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo in water, soil and cattle urine in Malaysia were evaluated. The survival time of serovar hardjo in the six types of water samples varied considerably. The longest survival time recorded was for 264 hours (11 days) in river water with between pH 6.7 and pH 7.3 placed in shaded area. The shortest survival time was recorded in seawater pH 6.5 to pH 6.8, with dissolved solid salt content between 3.78% and 3.85%. The leptospires were killed almost immediately after inoculation into seawater. The survival time of serovar hardjo in the three types of soil with three different water content, kept under either direct sun or shaded area were variable. The minimum survival time was 2 hours and maximum was 144 hours (6 days). Serovar hardjo survived in undiluted urine for only 2 hours under direct sun and 6 hours under shaded area. The survival time of serovar hardjo was longer in urine diluted with distilled water compared to undiluted urine. In diluted urine under direct sun, serovar hardjo can survive for up to 48 hours (2 days), under shaded area for up to 72 hours (3 days) and in refrigerator (4 C) for 984 hours (41 days). Under experimental conditions serovar hardjo survived in water, soil and urine remained infective up to 1 to 7 days post inoculation. These findings suggested that survived organisms would provide a source of infection for human and animals exposed to the contaminated environment.
Khairani-Bejo , S., A. R. Bahaman , M. Zamri-Saad and A. R. Mutalib , 2004. The Survival of Leptospira interrogans Serovar Hardjo in the Malaysian Environment . Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 3: 123-129.