Hosted by the Canadian Public Health Association
Canine leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease in many countries, including Canada and the United States. Over recent years, this disease appears to be increasing in frequency and geographic range. Disease transmission generally occurs from infected (wildlife) reservoirs via urine-contaminated environmental sources. As such, environmental factors such as climate changes in temperature and rainfall, and increasing number and urbanization of wildlife hosts likely increase dog disease risks. Given its complex wildlife-environment-domestic animal transmission cycle, it has been challenging to measure the impact of individual contributing factors to canine leptospirosis occurrence. This talk will highlight likely drivers for increased diagnoses of canine leptospirosis in the region, pulling from recent published work by the presenter.