ABSTRACT: Brucella spp. and Leptospira spp. antibodies were surveyed in 35 southern elephant seals (SESs) Mirounga leonina at Elephant Island (South Shetland Islands), western Antarctic peninsula, in the Austral summer of 2003 and 2004. The rose Bengal test and a commercial competitive ELISA (c-ELISA) were used to detect Brucella spp. exposure, and the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) with 22 live serovars was used to determine anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies. We found evidence of Brucella spp. exposure in 3 of 35 (8.6%) SESs tested via the c-ELISA displaying high percentage inhibition (PI), similar to other studies in pinnipeds in which Brucella spp. antibodies have been determined. Two of the 3 positives were pups (PI = 70.4 and 86.6%), while the third was an adult female (PI = 48.8%). The 3 c-ELISA positive SESs were additionally tested via the serum agglutination test but were found to be negative. All individuals were negative for antibodies against 22 Leptospira spp. serovars by MAT. These results contribute to the knowledge and monitoring of zoonotic pathogens with epizootic potential in Southern Ocean pinnipeds. Given the potential impact that pathogens may have on the abundance of wild (sometimes threatened and endangered) populations, constant monitoring and surveillance are required to prevent pathogen spread, particularly under forecast climate change scenarios.

中文翻译：

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布鲁氏菌属的血清学筛查。和钩端螺旋体 2003年和2004年，南极象岛的南象海豹Mirounga leonina中的抗体

摘要：布鲁氏菌属。和钩端螺旋体属。在2003年和2004年夏季的南半球，对南极半岛西部大象岛（南设得兰群岛）的35只南部象海豹（SESs）Mirounga leonina进行了抗体检测。用于检测布鲁氏菌属。暴露，并用22个活病毒血清的显微镜凝集试验（MAT）来确定抗钩端螺旋体的种类。抗体。我们发现了布鲁氏菌属的证据。通过c-ELISA测试的35种SES中有3种（8.6％）暴露显示出高百分比抑制（PI），类似于在布鲁切拉（Buccella）spp。已确定抗体。3例阳性中的2例是幼崽（PI = 70.4和86.6％），而第3例是成年雌性（PI = 48.8％）。另外，通过血清凝集试验检测了3 c-ELISA阳性的SES，但阴性。所有个体的针对22个钩端螺旋体的抗体均为阴性。MAT的血清。这些结果有助于了解和监测南大洋夹缝地区具有动物流行潜力的人畜共患病病原体。考虑到病原体可能对大量野生（有时受到威胁和濒危）种群的潜在影响，因此需要进行持续的监测和监视，以防止病原体扩散，特别是在预测的气候变化情景下。