title: Similarities in Leptospira serogroup and species distribution in animals and humans in the Indian ocean island of Mayotte.
abstract: Our objective was to identify local animal reservoirs of leptospirosis to explain the unusual features of Leptospira strains recently described among patients on the island of Mayotte. By means of a microscopic agglutination test using local clinical isolates, we found that 11.2% of black rats were seropositive to Leptospira, whereas 10.2% of flying foxes, 2% of lemurs, 93.1% of domestic dogs, and 87.5% of stray dogs were seropositive. As observed in humans, Mini was the main serogroup circulating in animals, whereas serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae was absent. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we also showed that 29.8% of rats carried leptospires in their kidneys. The sequencing of 16S rRNA gene sequences of Leptospira found in black rat kidneys identified four genomospecies (Leptospira borgpetersenii, Leptospira interrogans, Leptospira kirschneri, and L. borgpetersenii group B), which established black rats as the major source of leptospirosis transmission to humans. The origins of such a genetic diversity in Leptospira strains are discussed.
authors: Laboratoire de Bactériologie-Parasitologie-Virologie-Hygiène, Groupe Hospitalier Sud Réunion (GHSR), Centre Hospitalier Régional (CHR), Saint-Pierre, La Réunion, France. amel.desvars@gmail.com
authors: Amélie
authors: A
authors: Desvars
authors: Florence
authors: F
authors: Naze
authors: Gwenaël
authors: G
authors: Vourc'h
authors: Eric
authors: E
authors: Cardinale
authors: Mathieu
authors: M
authors: Picardeau
authors: Alain
authors: A
authors: Michault
authors: Pascale
authors: P
authors: Bourhy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017507:Comoros; D017931:DNA Primers; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D004199:Disease Vectors; D004285:Dogs; D006801:Humans; D007900:Lemur / Q000382:microbiology; D007919:Leptospira / Q000145:classification*; D051381:Rats; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers