title: Emerging Infectious Disease Implications of Invasive Mammalian Species: The Greater White-Toothed Shrew (Crocidura russula) Is Associated With a Novel Serovar of Pathogenic Leptospira in Ireland.
abstract: The greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) is an invasive mammalian species that was first recorded in Ireland in 2007. It currently occupies an area of approximately 7,600 km2 on the island. C. russula is normally distributed in Northern Africa and Western Europe, and was previously absent from the British Isles. Whilst invasive species can have dramatic and rapid impacts on faunal and floral communities, they may also be carriers of pathogens facilitating disease transmission in potentially naive populations. Pathogenic leptospires are endemic in Ireland and a significant cause of human and animal disease. From 18 trapped C. russula, 3 isolates of Leptospira were cultured. However, typing of these isolates by standard serological reference methods was negative, and suggested an, as yet, unidentified serovar. Sequence analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA and secY indicated that these novel isolates belong to Leptospira alstonii, a unique pathogenic species of which only 7 isolates have been described to date. Earlier isolations were limited geographically to China, Japan and Malaysia, and this leptospiral species had not previously been cultured from mammals. Restriction enzyme analysis (REA) further confirms the novelty of these strains since no similar patterns were observed with a reference database of leptospires. As with other pathogenic Leptospira species, these isolates contain lipL32 and do not grow in the presence of 8-azagunaine; however no evidence of disease was apparent after experimental infection of hamsters. These isolates are genetically related to L. alstonii but have a novel REA pattern; they represent a new serovar which we designate as serovar Room22. This study demonstrates that invasive mammalian species act as bridge vectors of novel zoonotic pathogens such as Leptospira.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, Iowa, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jarlath E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Nally
authors.affiliation: University Centre of Veterinary Medicine JU-UAK, University of Agriculture, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Arent
authors.affiliation: Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, Iowa, United States of America.
authors.forename: Darrell O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Bayles
authors.affiliation: Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, Iowa, United States of America.
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Hornsby
authors.affiliation: OIE Leptospirosis Reference Laboratory, Veterinary Sciences Division, AFBI, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Colm
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gilmore
authors.affiliation: UCD School of Agriculture & Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Siobhan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Regan
authors.affiliation: Ecosystems and Environment Research Centre, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Allan D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: McDevitt
authors.affiliation: UCD School of Biology & Environmental Science and UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yearsley
authors.affiliation: UCD Centre for Food Safety, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Sports Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Séamus
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fanning
authors.affiliation: UCD School of Agriculture & Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Barry J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: McMahon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001375:Azaguanine / Q000494:pharmacology; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission; D006224:Cricetinae; D004199:Disease Vectors; D006801:Humans; D058865:Introduced Species; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D007919:Leptospira / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000091402:Prohibitins; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D065288:Serogroup; D012788:Shrews / Q000382:microbiology*; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; C406589:LipL32 protein, Leptospira; D008074:Lipoproteins; C000717331:PHB2 protein, human; D000091402:Prohibitins; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D001375:Azaguanine