title: Serologic and molecular studies of Leptospira and leptospirosis among rats in the Philippines.
abstract: Rats are known to be the most important reservoirs and transmission sources of leptospirosis. However, the status of leptospirosis in the Philippines regarding reservoirs and transmission remains unknown. A survey was conducted in Metro Manila and Laguna that analyzed samples obtained from 106 rats. Using the microscopic agglutination test, we found that 92% of rat serum samples were positive for anti-Leptospira antibodies; the most common infecting serovars were Manilae, Hebdomadis, and Losbanos. On the basis of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and gyrase B gene sequence analyses, four groups of rat kidney isolates were found: L. interrogans serovar Manilae, serovar Losbanos, and serogroup Grippotyphosa, and L. borgpetersenii serogroup Javanica. Most isolates were lethal after experimental infection of golden Syrian hamsters. Results showed that these four Leptospira serovars and serogroups are circulating among rats, and that these animals may be one of the possible transmission sources of leptospirosis in the Philippines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. svillan@bact.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Sharon Y A M
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Villanueva
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ezoe
authors.forename: Rubelia A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Baterna
authors.forename: Yasutake
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yanagihara
authors.forename: Maki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muto
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koizumi
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukui
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masuzawa
authors.forename: Lolita L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Cavinta
authors.forename: Nina G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Gloriani
authors.forename: Shin-ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshida
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D006224:Cricetinae; D007919:Leptospira / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008647:Mesocricetus; D010679:Philippines / Q000453:epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D015995:Prevalence; D051381:Rats; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D015047:Zoonoses
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial