title: A clonal subpopulation of Leptospira interrogans sensu stricto is the major cause of leptospirosis outbreaks in Brazil.
abstract: Leptospira is a highly diverse genus comprising many species and serogroups in Brazil as well as all over the world. However, a study by arbitrarily primed PCR of 44 leptospiral strains isolated from humans during three different outbreaks in Brazilian urban centers reveals that 43 of 44 isolates exhibit very similar fingerprints. Analysis of these isolates indicates that they belong to a clonal subpopulation of Leptospira interrogans sensu stricto.
authors.affiliation: National Reference Center for Leptospirosis, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro. mpereira@gene.dbbm.fiocruz.br
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Bauab
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Vasconcelos
authors.forename: Z M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Moraes
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baranton
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Saint Girons
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002999:Clone Cells; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006801:Humans; D007921:Leptospira interrogans / Q000145:classification*; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D014505:Urban Population