Efficacy of Leptospiral vaccine against challenge with strains isolated from leptospirosis epidemic in Nicaragua using the hamster as biomodel

A hamster model was used to determine the protector capacity of vax-SPIRAL® against the lethal infection after challenge with 10,000 [LD.sub.50] of four strains isolated of a leptospirosis outbreaks in Nicaragua. These strains were selected from a primary group of 16 belonging to the serogroups strains Ballum, Icterohemorragiae, Pomona, Serjoe and Pyrogenes. Most of these, except Pyrogenes serogroup, reproduced the infection in animal model and the most virulent representatives of each serogroup were selected for the challenge. The results of this study suggest that vax-SPIRAL® conferred high percents of heterologous protection which aimed to consider it as a prophylactic measure useful in situations of floods and natural disasters in Nicaragua. Keywords: Leptospira, Heterologous protection, Natural Disaster, Biomodel, Endemic disease, Serogroup.