title: DNA relatedness of Leptospira strains isolated from beef cattle in Zimbabwe.
abstract: The DNA relatedness of 17 Leptospira strains isolated from beef cattle in Zimbabwe was determined using the hydroxyapatite method. Similarly to previously speciated African strains, all Zimbabwe isolates belonged to either Leptospira borgpetersenii or Leptospira kirschneri. All serovars within serogroups Pyrogenes (kwale, mombe and a strain closely related to serovar nigeria), Hebdomadis (marondera and mhou), Tarassovi (ngavi) and Sejroe (balcanica and hardjo) were L. borgpetersenii. L. kirschneri contained all strains in serovars of serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae (zimbabwe), Australis (fugis), Bataviae (paidjan) and Pomona (a strain closely related to mozdok). The species designations of the Zimbabwe fugis and paidjan strains were different from those of the reference strains of these two serovars, both of which belong to Leptospira interrogans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe. sferesu@esanet.zw
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Feresu
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Steigerwalt
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Brenner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017886:Durapatite; D007919:Leptospira / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D012703:Serotyping; D015030:Zimbabwe
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D017886:Durapatite