title: Analysis of Leptospira isolates from mainland Portugal and the Azores islands.
abstract: From 228 recent Leptospira isolates from mainland Portugal and Azorean wild mammals, 149 were characterized at the serovar level by monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), a quick serological method in epidemiological studies. In order to compare this antigenic information with that from new genetic techniques, a sample of isolates was analyzed through pulsed-field agarose gel electrophoresis (PFGE) (n=71), mapped restriction site polymorphisms (MRSPs) in PCR-amplified rRNA genes (n=45, including 13 saprophytes) and arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR) fingerprinting (n=32). MRSP and AP-PCR lead to species identification of the studied 32 pathogenic isolates: Leptospira interrogans (n=3), Leptospira kirschneri (n=8) and Leptospira borgpetersenii (n=21). MAbs and PFGE characterized pathogenic isolates at the serovar level and resulted mainly in agreement (64%) although many discrepancies (35%) were observed.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (UNL), R. da Junqueira 96, 1349-008, Lisboa, Portugal. mcp@ihmt.unl.pt
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Collares-Pereira
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Korver
authors.forename: B V
authors.initials: BV
authors.lastname: Cao Thi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santos-Reis
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bellenger
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baranton
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Terpstra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D001394:Azores / Q000453:epidemiology; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D005838:Genotype; D007668:Kidney / Q000382:microbiology; D007919:Leptospira / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D009115:Muridae; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D012703:Serotyping
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal