Genetic diversity of Leptospira in northwestern Colombia: first report of Leptospira santarosai as a recognised leptospirosis agent

Sanchez, Ronald Guillermo Peláez; López, Juan A.; Pereira, Martha María; Arboleda, Margarita; Agudelo‐Flórez, Piedad

doi:10.1590/0074-02760160245

Cited by 22 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(29 reference statements)

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“…Acute infection caused by L . santarosai was recently reported in dogs [ 68 ], and L . santarosai has been increasingly identified as the causative agent of severe cases of human leptospirosis [ 69 – 71 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Prospective study of canine leptospirosis in shelter and stray dog populations: Identification of chronic carriers and different Leptospira species infecting dogs

et al. 2018

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Dogs are highly susceptible to the leptospiral infection, notably stray and sheltered dogs. Unsanitary conditions often observed in dog shelters may predispose the introduction and spread of leptospires among sheltered populations, potentially increasing the chances for the inadvertent adoption of asymptomatically infected animals. The present work describes a longitudinal study using a multidisciplinary approach for the identification of chronically infected dogs and the characterization of potentially pathogenic strains circulating among stray and sheltered dog populations in São Paulo, Brazil. A total of 123 dogs from three populations were included. The initial evaluation consisted of blood and urine quantitative PCR testing (qPCR), the detection of specific antibodies by microscopic agglutination test (MAT), physical examination and hematological and serum biochemistry analyses. The qPCR-positive dogs were prospectively examined, and reevaluations also included culture from urine samples. Positive qPCR samples were subjected to 16S rRNA and secY gene phylogenetic analysis. The recovered strains were characterized by Multilocus Sequence Typing, polyclonal serogroup identification and virulence determination. Leptospiruria was detected in all populations studied (13/123), and phylogenetic analysis revealed that 10 dogs had L. interrogans infection. Three dogs (3/13) had L. santarosai infection. The secY phylogenetic analysis revealed that the L. santarosai sequences clustered separately from those obtained from other hosts. Ten leptospiruric dogs were reevaluated, and three dogs presented persistent leptospiruria, allowing culturing from two dogs. The strains were characterized as L. interrogans serogroup Canicola (virulent) and L. santarosai serogroup Sejroe (not virulent). Serum samples were retested by MAT using the DU92 and DU114 strains as antigens, and no increased seroreactivity was detected. Asymptomatic L. santarosai infection was observed in all populations studied, suggesting a possible role of dogs in the chain of transmission of this leptospiral species. The results suggest a genetic distinction between lineages of Brazilian L. santarosai maintained by dogs and other animal hosts. Our findings revealed that dogs could act as maintenance hosts for distinct pathogenic Leptospira, highlighting also that asymptomatically infected dogs can be inadvertently admitted and adopted in dog shelters, potentially increasing the risks of zoonotic transmission.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Prospective study of canine leptospirosis in shelter and stray dog populations: Identification of chronic carriers and different Leptospira species infecting dogs

et al. 2018

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“…and L. kirschneri 30 . L. santarosai has been reported in Northwestern Colombia and nearby countries 31 . Leptospira isolates reported from Argentina have been generally obtained from animals; Pomona serogroup is prevalent in bovine cattle population 32 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There was a single exception: one L. meyeri isolate, which is difficult to be taxonomically classified because this species includes pathogenic serovars, such as Sophia, and saprophytic serovars such as Semaranga; other L. meyeri serovars, e.g. Perameles and Ranarum, can be found in both pathogenic and saprophytic subgroups 31 . The presence of this species in environmental water sources may be important, due to its potential pathogenicity, and requires further characterization through serovar specific antisera or other procedures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Leptospira isolates from humans and the environment in Uruguay

Meny

Menéndez

Quintero

et al. 2017

Rev. Inst. Med. trop. S. Paulo

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Laboratory diagnosis of human leptospirosis usually relies on indirect methods exploring specific immune response. Isolation and identification of the involved strains are cumbersome, but can provide biological resources for pathogenic studies and relevant information for guiding prevention and control measures. The aim of the research we are hereby reporting was the characterization of Leptospira isolates obtained from humans and the environment in Uruguay. Blood cultures were performed from early samples of 302 Uruguayan patients, mainly rural workers, and from 36 water samples taken from their living or working environments. Eight human isolates and seven environmental isolates were obtained and analyzed by end point Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Multilocus Variable Number of Tandem Repeat Analysis (MLVA) and other molecular methods. Human isolates corresponded to several serogroups and serovars of Leptospira interrogans and Leptospira kirschneri species, probably reflecting the infection with similar involved Leptospira species and serovars of an extended animal reservoir in rural settings of the country, mostly dedicated to meat and dairy production. Culture-positive patients were older than usually affected workers, and presented signs and symptoms of severe illness. A high organic and circulating bacterial burden may explain an easier positive result from these workers’ samples. Environmental isolates were mainly identified as Leptospira biflexa strains, with a single L. meyeri isolate of uncertain significance.

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“…This novel species has not been proven for their virulence [ 2 ]. On the other hand, L. santarosai is a known causative agent of human leptospirosis in many countries worldwide such as Taiwan, Columbia, Costa Rica, the French West Indies, and the Peruvian Amazon [ 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. This species has been isolated from various animal hosts such as dog, rats, marsupial, buffaloes, and cattle [ 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potentially Pathogenic Leptospira in the Environment of an Elephant Camp in Thailand

Chaiwattanarungruengpaisan

Thepapichaikul

Paungpin

et al. 2020

TropicalMed

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Leptospira is the causative agent of leptospirosis, a globally emerging zoonotic disease. The infection is commonly acquired through contact with the contaminated environment. To extend the knowledge on environmental source of leptospirosis, we investigated the presence of Leptospira in an elephant camp setting where the interaction between humans, animals, and the shared environment occur particularly when engaging in recreational activities. In this study, a total of 24 environmental samples were collected from an elephant camp area in western Thailand. All samples were processed for Leptospira isolation using the EMJH medium. The identification of Leptospira species was carried out by partial 16S rRNA and secY gene sequencing. Of those 24 samples, 18 samples (75%) were culture-positive for Leptospira. The recovered leptospires were mostly derived from water and soil sampled from a river and a mud pond, the main areas for recreational activities. The majority of the isolates were classified into “Pathogens” clade (89%, 16/18) and more than half of the isolates (61%, 11/18) contained species of the “Saprophytes” clade. Notably, two soil isolates from the river beach sampling area were found to contain leptospiral DNA with high similarity to the pathogenic L. interrogans and L. santarosai. The evidence of diverse Leptospira species, particularly those belonging to the “Pathogens” clade, suggest that the shared environments of an elephant camp can serve as potential infection source and may pose a risk to the elephant camp tourists and workers.

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Genetic diversity of Leptospira in northwestern Colombia: first report of Leptospira santarosai as a recognised leptospirosis agent

Cited by 22 publications

References 29 publications

Prospective study of canine leptospirosis in shelter and stray dog populations: Identification of chronic carriers and different Leptospira species infecting dogs

Prospective study of canine leptospirosis in shelter and stray dog populations: Identification of chronic carriers and different Leptospira species infecting dogs

Characterization of Leptospira isolates from humans and the environment in Uruguay

Potentially Pathogenic Leptospira in the Environment of an Elephant Camp in Thailand

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