Molecular evidence for the presence of Leptospira borgpetersenii in synanthropic rodents in the Nautla region, Veracruz, México

Abstract

The genus Leptospira encompasses ten species of spirochetes capable of infecting mammals, particularly rodents. In México, studies focused on the detection of Leptospira sp. in rodents are scarce, all of them restricted to three states of the Gulf of México. For this reason, this work aimed to identify the diversity of Leptospira species associated with synanthropic rodents in Veracruz, a state where leptospirosis is endemic. Rodents were sampled with Sherman traps placed in 10 Production Units across the Nautla region. Animals were euthanized and their kidneys removed. Subsequently, a 474-bp segment of the outer membrane protein LipL32, present in all pathogenic species, was amplified and sequenced. Sequences were compared vs. reference using the BLAST algorithm: a phylogenetic reconstruction was carried out using the Maximum Likelihood method. In addition, the prevalence of infection in each Production Unit was estimated. Twenty eight rodents of a single species (Mus musculus) were caught. Leptospira DNA was detected in 17 samples (62.9 %, CI 95 % 42.3 to 80.6) from seven localities in the Nautla region. The sequences recovered exhibited 99-100% identity to each other and 99 % identity with Leptospira borgspetersenii sequences deposited in GenBank. This study confirms the presence of L. borgspetersenii in rodents, particularly in M. musculus, in México. This study increases the inventory of pathogenic leptospires for the state of Veracruz to three species.El género Leptospira engloba 10 especies de espiroquetas capaces de infectar mamíferos, particularmente roedores. En México se han realizado escasos estudios para la detección de Leptospira sp. en roedores, todos ellos restringidos a tres estados del Golfo de México. Por tal motivo el objetivo del presente trabajo fue identificar la diversidad de leptospiras en roedores sinantrópicas de Veracruz, un estado endémico de leptospirosis. Para la colecta de roedores, se colocaron trampas tipo Sherman en 10 unidades de producción de la región Nautla. Los animales se sacrificaron y se obtuvieron los riñones. Posteriormente se amplificó y secuenció un segmento de 474 pb de la proteína exterior de membrana LipL32 presente en las leptospiras patógenas. Posteriormente se compararon las secuencias con las de referencia mediante el uso del algoritmo BLAST y se realizó una reconstrucción filogenética mediante el método de Máxima Verosimilitud. Adicionalmente se obtuvieron las prevalencias de la infección por unidad de producción. Se colectaron 28 roedores de una única especie (Mus musculus). Se detectó la presencia de ADN de Leptospira en 17 muestras (62.9 %; IC 95 % 42.3 a 80.6) procedentes de siete localidades de la región Nautla. Las secuencias recuperadas exhibieron una similitud del 99-100 % entre si y una identidad del 99 % con secuencias de referencia de Leptospira borgspetersenii depositadas en GenBank. Este estudio confirma la presencia de L. borgspetersenii en roedores y en particular con M. musculus en México. Este estudio incrementa a tres especies el inventario ...

Frecuencia de Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato y Leptospira spp. en pequeños roedores de Yucatán, México

“…De manera similar, Torres-Castro y col. [39] mencionan una frecuencia de 8 % (2/25) en M. musculus capturados en Cenotillo. A nivel nacional (México), el hallazgo de este trabajo coincide con lo reportado por Gutiérrez-Molina y col. [11] con M. musculus capturados en la región Nautla, Veracruz, aunque la frecuencia de infección descrita por estos autores fue más alta (62,9 %, 17/28). Todos estos hallazgos sugieren la participación de M. musculus en el ciclo epidemiológico de Leptospira spp.…”

Spatial epidemiology ofLeptospirasp. exposure in bovines from Veracruz, México

“…in cattle herds and its spatial variation. The risk model revealed a significant role of small wild mammals, especially rodents and opossums, previously highlighted as potential hosts for this pathogen (Gutiérrez‐Molina et al., 2019; Krijger et al., 2019; Torres‐Castro et al., 2018). In addition, it explained the exposure in combination with the geographic longitude in cattle herds distributed throughout the state (Dhewantara et al., 2019).…”

“…Five bat species ( Artibeus jamaicensis , Artibeus lituratus , Chiroderma villosum , Desmodus rotundus and Pteronotus parnellii ), two rodents ( Mus musculus and Rattus rattus ) and two opossums ( Didelphis marsupialis and Didelphis virginiana ) have been identified as potential hosts of Leptospira sp. in Mexico in previous studies using serological approaches, isolation and/or genomic sequencing (Ballados‐González et al., 2018; Gutiérrez‐Molina et al., 2019; Krijger et al., 2020; Ruiz‐Piña et al., 2002; Torres‐Castro et al., 2018, 2020; Valbuena‐Torrealba & Pefaur‐Vega, 2015). Thus, these wild species were considered in this study.…”

“…The use of grids solves a large part of the spatial autocorrelation problems derived from sampling bias or spatial clustering in observations (Romero et al, 2019). Gutiérrez-Molina et al, 2019;Krijger et al, 2020;Ruiz-Piña et al, 2002;Torres-Castro et al, 2018Valbuena-Torrealba & Pefaur-Vega, 2015). Thus, these wild species were considered in this study.…”

“…In Mexico, clinical cases of leptospirosis have been described in humans (Sanchez‐Montes et al., 2015; Zuñiga‐Carrasco & Caro‐Lozano, 2013), and the presence of bacteria or exposure to them through polymerase chain reaction or microscopic agglutination test (MAT) has been described in domestic (Carmona‐Gasca et al., 2011; Zárate‐Martínez et al., 2015) and wild animals (Ballados‐González et al., 2018; Espinosa‐Martinez et al., 2015; Gutiérrez‐Molina et al., 2019; Torres‐Castro et al., 2018, 2020). Human cases, as the presence of Leptospira in domestic and wild animals, are more frequent in the south‐eastern states of the country, which include Tabasco, Yucatan and Veracruz (Ballados‐González et al., 2018; Gutiérrez‐Molina et al., 2019; Torres‐Castro et al., 2018, 2020). Among these, the state of Veracruz is the main producer of bovine cattle of the country, with an annual production of 479,077 tons of meat on the hoof and an inventory of 4,306,215 animals (SIAP, 2018).…”