Isolation and characterization of Leptospira licerasiae in Austrian swine - a first-time case report in Europe

• Published in: BMC veterinary research Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 348 - 6
• Main Authors: Steinrigl, Adi, Willixhofer, Denise, Schindler, Martin, Richter, Susanne, Unterweger, Christine, Ahmed, Ahmed A, van der Linden, Hans, Mende, Daniel R, Pucci, Nicholas, Steinparzer, Romana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 07.08.2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Agglutination tests; Analysis; Animals; Austria; Case Report; Diseases; DNA sequencing; Domestic animals; Genomes; Geographical distribution; Hogs; Infections; Infectious diseases; Leptospira; Leptospira - genetics; Leptospira - isolation & purification; Leptospira licerasiae; Leptospirosis; Leptospirosis - microbiology; Leptospirosis - veterinary; Multiple organ failure; Nucleotide sequencing; Pathogenicity; Pig; Prevention; Risk factors; Serology; Serotyping; Swine; Swine Diseases - microbiology; Urine; Whole genome sequencing; Zoonoses; Austria; Europe; Leptospira licerasiae; Austria; Whole genome sequencing; Pig
• ISSN: 1746-6148; 1746-6148
• DOI: 10.1186/s12917-024-04213-6

Leptospiraceae comprise a diverse family of spirochetal bacteria, of which many are involved in infectious diseases of animals and humans. Local leptospiral diversity in domestic animals is often poorly understood. Here we describe the incidental detection of Leptospira (L.) licerasiae in an Austrian pig. During an experiment to characterize the pathogenesis of L. interrogans serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae in pigs, cultivation of a urine sample from a non-challenged contact pig resulted in growth of a spirochetal bacterium that tested negative for pathogenic Leptospira (LipL32 gene). PCR, Sanger sequencing and standard serotyping further confirmed that the recovered isolate was clearly different from the challenge strain L. interrogans serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae used in the animal experiment. Whole genome sequencing revealed that the isolate belongs to the species L. licerasiae, a tropical member of the Leptospiraceae, with no prior record of detection in Europe. This is the first report describing the occurrence of L. licerasiae in Europe. Since L. licerasiae is considered to have intermediate pathogenicity, it will be important to follow the geographical distribution of this species and its pathogenic and zoonotic potential in more detail.