Detection of antibodies to leptospirosis in experimentally infected dogs using the microcapsule agglutination test.

Six puppies were infected with a virulent strain of Leptospira interrogans serovar icterohaemorrhagiae and another five animals with a virulent strain of Leptospira interrogans serovar canicola, respectively. Antibodies were examined at 3, 5, 7, 11 and 14 days after infection, using the microcapsule agglutination test (MCAT) and the conventional microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Compared with the MAT, the MCAT detected early specific IgM antibody with high sensitivity. The MCAT titres reached a peak at the 7th day after infection and declined gradually after the 11th day, while the MAT titres increased up to the 14th day.