Horizontal transfer of the<i>rfb</i>cluster in<i>Leptospira</i>is a genetic determinant of serovar identity

Nieves, Cecilia; Vincent, Antony T.; Zarantonelli, Leticia; Picardeau, Mathieu; Veyrier, Frédéric J.; Buschiazzo, Alejandro

doi:10.26508/lsa.202201480

Cited by 12 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…Other evidence of the association of this locus with serological classification was found in subsequent studies, such as the sharing of genes in this locus among samples of the Hurstbridge serovar of the L. fainei and L. broomi species 1 and the similarity of the gene profile among samples of the Sejroe, Hebdomadis, and Mini serogroups, which have antigenic affinity 4 . A study involving the main serogroups also verified the similarity of the gene profile of the rfb locus among samples classified in the same serogroup 12 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

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Genetic structure and diversity ofrfblocus of pathogenic species of genusLeptospira

Ferreira

Filho

Cosate

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Considered a globally important zoonotic bacterial disease, leptospirosis affects both humans and commercially important animals. It is transmitted through direct or indirect exposure to the urine of infected animals and is a major public health challenge in regions with heavy rainfall, floods, and poor socioeconomic conditions. The genus Leptospira has 67 species, which can be grouped into pathogenic and saprophytic groups. Serological classification based on antigenic characteristics is important in epidemiology and clinical analysis but is laborious, requires infrastructure and specialized labor, and takes days to obtain results. In this study, we aimed to find genetic patterns associated with the serological classification of Leptospira to propose molecular markers for classifying Leptospira samples at the serogroup level. For this, we used genomic data of 722 samples distributed in 67 species in public databases and compared the gene composition of their rfb locus. Clustering analysis was able to group samples into five major classes that share similarities in both the serological and genetic composition of the rfb locus. We also identified some syntenic blocks in the internal region of the rfb locus and patterns of presence and absence of these blocks which can be used to determine the serogroup of a sample. Our findings can assist the development of molecular strategies for the serological identification of Leptospira samples, which could be more rapid and accurate than the current method.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…These clades are further subdivided into two subclades each. The pathogenic clade is subdivided into P1 and P2 subclades, which are also known as pathogenic and intermediate group, respectively., and thesaprophytic clade is subdivided into S1 and S2 12 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic structure and diversity ofrfblocus of pathogenic species of genusLeptospira

Ferreira

Filho

Cosate

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…In addition, it was found that there is a small region of the rfb locus, called the SVR (Sejroe/Mini/Hebdomadis rfb variable region) by the authors, which allows samples to be classified between these three serogroups according to their gene constitution. Other studies have also found an association between the rfb locus and serological classification in other species and serogroups (Nieves et al, 2022; Fouts et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…However, there is still much to improve, and understanding the source of the genetic and serological diversity is fundamental to addressing more effective strategies for the prevention and control of leptospirosis. Recent studies showed a high association between the gene composition of the rfb locus and the serological classification (Medeiros et al, 2022; Nieves et al, 2022). In this sense, we aimed to analyze the evolutionary history of the genes comprising the rfb locus of the Leptospira genus in order to understand the evolutionary dynamics surrounding the serological classification of this genus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF THErfbLOCUS GENES OF THE GENUSLeptospiraOF SEROGROUPS SERJOE, MINI AND HEBDOMADIS

Barros Setúbal,

de Santana Souza,

Venturim Cosate

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Leptospirosis is a zoonosis of great impact on public health since it is considered a notifiable disease occurring mainly in tropical regions with poor sanitation and vulnerable socioeconomic conditions. It is caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira and phylum Spirochaetes and contamination occurs through direct or indirect contact with the contaminating agent. In addition to taxonomic classification, which is performed through sequencing and the analysis of some marker genes, such as 16S rRNA and secY, they are usually classified based on their antigenic characteristics into serogroups and serovars. This kind of classification is largely applied in epidemiological studies and vaccine development. Despite its importance, few studies have been conducted to understand the evolutionary dynamics of the emergence or change of serology in this genus. In view of this, we applied phylogenetic methods in order to understand the evolutionary processes involving the serology of the genus. To this end, sequences of genes comprising the rfb locus from samples of serogroups Sejroe, Mini, and Hebdomadis (34 samples) were extracted and submitted to the phylogenetic pipeline, resulting in the inference of 75 maximum likelihood trees. Topology tests showed that most of the gene trees are significantly different from the species tree. We could depict the occurrence of lateral gene transfer between L. borgpetersenii and L. kirschneri; and L. interrogans and L. weilli. In this analysis, no evidence was found for the lateral gene transfer between samples of the Hardjo serovar of L. interrogans and L. borgpetersenii. Thus, it is also suggested that the occurrence of horizontal transfer of genes from the rfb locus between distinct species is less frequent than expected.

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“…Although serovar is likely to remain an essential classification scheme for Leptospira , CAAT and PFGE are likely to be replaced for characterisation or serovar identification by genomic methods, which are increasingly commonly performed. For example, recent work indicates that sequencing of the rfb gene cluster closely correlates with serovar identity [39]. As such, re‐assessment of acceptable identification methods will be needed for future updates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global distribution of Leptospira serovar isolations and detections from animal host species: A systematic review and online database

Hagedoorn,

Maze,

Carugati

et al. 2024

Tropical Med Int Health

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ObjectivesLeptospira, the spirochaete causing leptospirosis, can be classified into >250 antigenically distinct serovars. Although knowledge of the animal host species and geographic distribution of Leptospira serovars is critical to understand the human and animal epidemiology of leptospirosis, current data are fragmented. We aimed to systematically review, the literature on animal host species and geographic distribution of Leptospira serovars to examine associations between serovars with animal host species and regions and to identify geographic regions in need of study.MethodsNine library databases were searched from inception through 9 March 2023 using keywords including Leptospira, animal, and a list of serovars. We sought reports of detection of Leptospira, from any animal, characterised by cross agglutinin absorption test, monoclonal antibody typing, serum factor analysis, or pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis to identify the serovar.ResultsWe included 409 reports, published from 1927 through 2022, yielding data on 154 Leptospira serovars. The reports included data from 66 (26.5%) of 249 countries. Detections were from 144 animal host species including 135 (93.8%) from the class Mammalia, 5 (3.5%) from Amphibia, 3 (2.1%) from Reptilia, and 1 (0.7%) from Arachnida. Across the animal host species, Leptospira serovars that were detected in the largest number of animal species included Grippotyphosa (n = 39), Icterohaemorrhagiae (n = 29), Pomona (n = 28), Australis (n = 25), and Ballum (n = 25). Of serovars, 76 were detected in a single animal host species. We created an online database to identify animal host species for each serovar by country.ConclusionsWe found that many countries have few or no Leptospira serovars detected from animal host species and that many serovars were detected from a single animal species. Our study highlights the importance of efforts to identify animal host species of leptospirosis, especially in places with a high incidence of human leptospirosis. We provide an updated resource for leptospirosis researchers.

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Horizontal transfer of therfbcluster inLeptospirais a genetic determinant of serovar identity

Cited by 12 publications

References 84 publications

Genetic structure and diversity ofrfblocus of pathogenic species of genusLeptospira

Genetic structure and diversity ofrfblocus of pathogenic species of genusLeptospira

PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF THErfbLOCUS GENES OF THE GENUSLeptospiraOF SEROGROUPS SERJOE, MINI AND HEBDOMADIS

Global distribution of Leptospira serovar isolations and detections from animal host species: A systematic review and online database

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