Pathogenic Leptospira Species in Insectivorous Bats, China, 2015.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Han HJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6004874 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Leptospirosis has been identified as a zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the bacterial genus Leptospira. Rodents are considered the primary hosts of these bacteria, whereas many recent studies suggest that bats may serve as potential natural reservoirs. However, studies on pathogenic spirochetes hosted by bat populations still need to be completed in China. In this study, a total of 276 bats belonging to five genera collected in Yunnan Province (Southwest China) from 2017 to 2021 were included in the screening. Pathogenic spirochetes were detected by PCR amplification and sequencing targeting four genes (rrs, secY, flaB, and LipL32), resulting in 17 positive samples. Phylogenetic analysis based on multi-loci concatenated sequences, inferred by MLST approach, identified the strains as two novel Leptospira species within the pathogenic group. Of note, only Rousettus leschenaultii was found to harbor these spirochetes, suggesting it may be one of the potential natural reservoirs in circulating leptospires in this region. Nevertheless, the pathogenesis and transmission dynamics still need to be fully understood, requiring in-depth studies on other animals and the surrounding population.
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Project description:BackgroundTo increase understanding of human bacterial and parasitic pathogens in bats, we investigated the prevalence of Babesia spp., Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma spp. and Coxiella burnetii in bats from China.MethodsBats were captured from Mengyin County, Shandong Province of China using nets. DNA was extracted from the blood and spleen of bats for molecular detection of Babesia spp., Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma spp. and Coxiella burnetii with specific primers for each species.ResultsA total of 146 spleen samples and 107 blood samples of insectivorous bats, which belonged to 6 species within two families, were collected from Mengyin County, Shandong Province of China. We found that two Eptesicus serotinus (2/15, 13.3%) were positive for Babesia vesperuginis. We were unable to detect genomic sequences for Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma spp. and Coxiella burnetii.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, our study showed for the first time the presence of Babesia vesperuginis in Eptesicus serotinus collected from China, suggesting that Babesia vesperuginis has a broad host species and geographical distribution.
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Project description:Leptospirosis is caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp., which can be found in nature among domestic and wild animals. In Colombia, the Macaregua cave is known for its bat richness; thus, because bats are reservoir hosts of human microbiological pathogens, we determined if the Macaregua cave bats harbored Leptospira in the wild. A total of 85 kidney samples were collected from three bat species (Carollia perspicillata, Mormoops megalophylla, and Natalus tumidirostris) to detect Leptospira spp. The 16S rRNA gene was targeted through conventional PCR and qPCR; in addition, the LipL32 gene was detected using conventional PCR. Obtained amplicons were purified and sequenced for phylogenetic analysis. The Leptospira spp. 16S rRNA gene was detected in 51.8% bat kidneys, of which 35 sequences were obtained, all clustering within the pathogenic group. Moreover, 11 sequences presented high-identity-values with Leptospiranoguchii, Leptospiraalexanderi, Leptospiraborgpetersenii, Leptospirakirschneri, and Leptospiramayottensis. From the 16S rRNALeptospira spp.-positive population samples, 28 amplified for the LipL32 gene, and 23 sequences clustered in five different phylogenetic groups. In conclusion, we detected the circulation of different groups of Leptospira spp. sequences among cave bats in the wild; some sequences were detected in more than one bat specimen from the same species, suggesting a conspecific transmission within the cave.
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Project description:BackgroundLeptospirosis is one of the most important neglected tropical bacterial diseases worldwide. However, there is limited information on the genetic diversity and host selectivity of pathogenic Leptospira in wild small mammal populations.Methodology/principal findingsJiangxi Province, located in southern China, is a region highly endemic for leptospirosis. In this study, among a total of 3,531 trapped rodents dominated by Apodemus agrarius (59.7%), 330 Leptospira strains were successfully isolated from six different sites in Jiangxi between 2002 and 2015. Adding 71 local strains from humans, various kinds of livestock and wild animals in Jiangxi, a total of 401 epidemic strains were characterized using 16S rRNA gene senquencing, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Among them, the most prevalent serogroup was Icterohaemorrhagiae (61.10%), followed by Javanica (19.20%) and Australis (9.73%); the remaining five serogroups, Canicola, Autumnalis, Grippotyphosa, Hebdomadis and Pomona, accounted for 9.97%. Species identification revealed that 325 were L. interrogans and 76 were L. borgpetersenii. Moreover, L. interrogans was the only pathogenic species in Fuliang and Shanggao and was predominant in Shangrao (95.0%); L. borgpetersenii was the most common in the remaining three sites. Twenty-one sequence types (STs) were identified. Similarly, ST1 and serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae were most prevalent in Shangrao (86.0% and 86.4%) and Fuliang (90.4% and 90.4%), ST143 and serogroup Javanica in Shangyou (88.5% and 90.4%) and Longnan (73.1% and 73.1%), and ST105 and serogroup Australis in Shanggao (46.3% and 56.1%). Serogroup Icterohaemorhagiae primarily linked to A. agrarius (86.9%), serogroup Canicola to dogs (83.3%). There were significant differences in the distribution of leptospiral species/serogroups/STs prevalence across host species/collected locations among the 394 animal-associated strains (Fisher's exact test, p<0.001).Conclusions/significanceOur study demonstrated high genetic diversity of pathogenic Leptospira strains from wild small animals in Jiangxi from 2002 to 2015. A. agrarius was the most abundantly trapped animal reservoir, and serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae and ST1 were the most dominant in Jiangxi. Significant geographic variation and host diversity in the distribution of dominant species, STs and serogroups were observed. Moreover, rat-to-human transmission might play a crucial role in the circulation of Leptospirosis in Jiangxi. Details of the serological and molecular characteristics circulating in this region will be essential in implementing prevention and intervention measures to reduce the risk of disease transmission in China. However, phylogenetic analysis of more Leptospira isolates should explore the impact of ecological change on leptospirosis transmission dynamics and investigate how such new knowledge might better impact environmental monitoring for disease control and prevention at a public health level.
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Project description:Leptospirosis, caused by pathogenic Leptospira, is a worldwide zoonotic infection. The genus Leptospira includes at least 21 species clustered into three groups--pathogens, non-pathogens, and intermediates--based on 16S rRNA phylogeny. Research on Leptospira is difficult due to slow growth and poor transformability of the pathogens. Recent identification of extrachromosomal elements besides the two chromosomes in L. interrogans has provided new insight into genome complexity of the genus Leptospira. The large size, low copy number, and high similarity of the sequence of these extrachromosomal elements with the chromosomes present challenges in isolating and detecting them without careful genome assembly. In this study, two extrachromosomal elements were identified in L. borgpetersenii serovar Ballum strain 56604 through whole genome assembly combined with S1 nuclease digestion following pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (S1-PFGE) analysis. Further, extrachromosomal elements in additional 15 Chinese epidemic strains of Leptospira, comprising L. borgpetersenii, L. weilii, and L. interrogans, were successfully separated and identified, independent of genome sequence data. Southern blot hybridization with extrachromosomal element-specific probes, designated as lcp1, lcp2 and lcp3-rep, further confirmed their occurrences as extrachromosomal elements. In total, 24 plasmids were detected in 13 out of 15 tested strains, among which 11 can hybridize with the lcp1-rep probe and 11 with the lcp2-rep probe, whereas two can hybridize with the lcp3-rep probe. None of them are likely to be species-specific. Blastp search of the lcp1, lcp2, and lcp3-rep genes with a nonredundant protein database of Leptospira species genomes showed that their homologous sequences are widely distributed among clades of pathogens but not non-pathogens or intermediates. These results suggest that the plasmids are widely distributed in Leptospira species, and further elucidation of their biological significance might contribute to our understanding of biology and infectivity of pathogenic spirochetes.
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