Natural Occurrence of Leptospira ballum in Rural House Mice and in an Opossum

Abstract

In search of wildlife carriers of L. pomona, various species of mammals were trapped in an endemic area of bovine leptospirosis. Leptospiral cultural isolates were obrained from 15 of 37 house mice and from 1 of 2 opossums. All isolates belonged to the serotype L. ballum. The failure to detect L. pomona in the rodent and other wildlife population in an endemic area affords ancillary evidence that the natural hosts of L. pomona are to be found primarily in the livestock population. To the authors'' knowledge, this is the 1st report of leptospirosis in an opossum.