title: Molecular serovar characterization of Leptospira isolates from animals and water in Colombia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease transmitted directly or indirectly from animals to humans that may result in severe hemorrhagic, hepatic/renal and pulmonary disease. There are 20 known Leptospira species and hundreds of serovars, some of which belong to different species. It is essential to identify pathogenic Leptospira serovars and their potential reservoirs to prepare adequate control strategies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To characterize the Leptospira serovars isolated from rodents, dogs, pigs and water samples in Colombia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Leptospira organisms were isolated and cultured, and pathogenic strains were identified using a polymerase chain-reaction (PCR). Leptospira DNA and Salmonella Braenderup H9812 (molecular weight standard) DNA were cleaved using NotI and subjected to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The PFGE patterns were analyzed based on bacterial strain-typing criteria and Dice coefficients (DCs) between these isolates and over 200 Leptospira organisms isolated from other parts of the world.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All of the isolates were pathogenic strains, and five were genetically characterized. The P275 (84% DC) and P282 (95% DC) pig isolates were related to the Leptospira interrogans Pomona serovar; the I15 (DC: 100%) rat isolate was identical to the Leptospira interrogans Icterohameorrhagiae or Copenhageni serovars, while the C67 (64% DC) dog and A42 (60% DC) water isolates were not related (< 73.7% DC) to any of the 200 reference serovars; the closest serovars were the Leptospira noguchii Nicaragua and Orleans serovars, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This was the first molecular characterization of Colombian Leptospira spp isolates; these isolates will be used to develop a Colombian diagnostic panel.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Investigaciones en Enfermedades Tropicales, Departamento de Medicina, Universidad del Norte.
authors.forename: Claudia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Romero-Vivas
authors.affiliation: Saskatchewan Disease Control Laboratory, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
authors.forename: Dorothy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thiry
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas del Trópico, Universidad de Córdoba, Montería, Colombia.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas del Trópico, Universidad de Córdoba, Montería, Colombia.
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calderón
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas del Trópico, Universidad de Córdoba, Montería, Colombia.
authors.forename: Germán
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Arrieta
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas del Trópico, Universidad de Córdoba, Montería, Colombia.
authors.forename: Salim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Máttar
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Investigaciones en Enfermedades Tropicales, Departamento de Medicina, Universidad del Norte.
authors.forename: Margarett
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cuello
authors.affiliation: Saskatchewan Disease Control Laboratory, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
authors.forename: Paul N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Levett
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Investigaciones en Enfermedades Tropicales, Departamento de Medicina, Universidad del Norte.
authors.forename: Andrew K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Falconar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000382:microbiology*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D004285:Dogs / Q000382:microbiology; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000382:microbiology; D007919:Leptospira / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D051381:Rats / Q000382:microbiology; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D065288:Serogroup; D012703:Serotyping / Q000379:methods; D013552:Swine / Q000382:microbiology; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D014556:Urine / Q000382:microbiology; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial