Anti-Leptospira spp. antibody test in noncaptive reptiles from urban and peri-urban reas in Brazil's extreme South/Pesquisa de anticorpos anti-Leptospira spp. em repteis de vida livre de areas urbanas e periurbanas do extremo sul do Brasil

The state of Rio Grande do Sul has a great diversity of reptile species distributed throughout its territory. Due to human actions, such as habitat fragmentation, these animals have been frequently observed in urban and peri-urban environments. This facilitates the spread of pathogens between animals and humans, posing a unique health risk, as many diseases are considered zoonoses. Leptospirosis is among the most common zoonoses in the world and is caused by pathogenic species of bacteria of the genus Leptospira. The role of reptiles in the cycle of this disease is yet unknown. However, serological studies have demonstrated positivity for antibodies against Leptospira spp. in tortoises and snakes, which may indicate that these animals act in maintaining the pathogen in the environment. This observed the presence of anti-Leptospira antibodies in rescued reptiles taken to the Center for Rehabilitation of Wild Fauna and Screening Center for Wild Animals at the Universidade Federal de Pelotas (NURFS-CETAS/UFPEL). Samples were collected from 55 animals (39 Trachemys dorbigni; 3 Philodryas patagoniensis; 3 Caiman latirostris; 3 Salvator merianae; 2 Acanthochelys spixii; 2 Phrynops hilarii; 2 Hydromedusa tectifera; 1 Philodryas aestivd) from August 2022 to December 2023 and tested for 12 reference serovars. Two animals demonstrated positivity, one for the pathogenic serovar Pyrogenes and the other for the pathogenic serovar Canicola. This result reflected the importance of different species besides mammals as potential reservoirs and responsible for maintaining leptospirosis in the environment. Key words: chelonian, leptospirosis, lizard, zoonosis. O Rio Grande do Sul possui uma grande diversidade de especies de repteis distribuidos por todo o Estado. Devido as acoes antropicas, como a fragmentacao de habitats, estes animais vem sendo observados com frequencia no meio urbano e periurbano. Isso facilita a disseminacao de patogenos entre animais e seres humanos, sendo um risco a saude unica, visto que muitas doencas sao consideradas zoonoses. A leptospirose esta entre as zoonoses mais comuns do mundo e e causada pelas especies patogenicas da bacteria do genero Leptospira. Ainda nao se sabe o papel dos repteis no ciclo da doenca, porem, estudos sorologicos demonstraram positividade para anticorpos contra Leptospira spp. em cagados e serpentes, o que pode indicar que estes animais atuam na manutencao do patogeno no ambiente. O objetivo deste estudo foi observar a pre