title: Evolution and pathogenesis of Leptospira spp.: lessons learned from the genomes.
abstract: Leptospirosis has emerged to become a major public health problem in developing countries. The availability of complete sequences of strains representing saprophytic and pathogenic species of the genus Leptospira is providing insights into the evolution of virulence and survival mechanisms used by these bacteria to persist in different ecological niches.
authors.affiliation: Division of Basic Medical Microbiology, State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Zhejiang University, 310058 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, PR China. sherlock_hsueh@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Picardeau
mesh_terms: D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D007919:Leptospira / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D037521:Virulence Factors