Genetic relatedness of Leptospira interrogans serogroup Autumnalis isolated from humans, dogs, and mice in Japan

• Published in: BMC research notes Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 369
• Main Authors: Koizumi, Nobuo, Izumiya, Hidemasa, Ohnishi, Makoto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 03.08.2020; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Animals; Asymptomatic; Comparative analysis; Diagnosis; Disease; Distribution; Dog; Dogs; Genetic aspects; Genetic diversity; Genotype & phenotype; Genotypes; Gram-negative bacteria; Host-bacteria relationships; Humans; Infections; Japan; Laboratories; Leptospira; Leptospira interrogans; Leptospira interrogans - genetics; Leptospirosis; Leptospirosis - veterinary; Maintenance host; Mice; MLVA; Mouse; Research Note; Serogroup; Serotypes; Spirochetes; Studies; Thrombocytopenia; Zoonoses; Japan; Leptospirosis; Maintenance host; Leptospira interrogans; Mouse; Dog; MLVA
• ISSN: 1756-0500; 1756-0500
• DOI: 10.1186/s13104-020-05211-1

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic spirochetes of Leptospira spp., and peridomiciliary rodents are the most important reservoir animals for human infection. Dogs are known to be the reservoir animal of L. interrogans serovar Canicola, but the importance of dogs in zoonotic transmission of other Leptospira serotypes/genotypes remains unclear. This study reports the isolation of L. interrogans serogroup Autumnalis from two human patients in Japan and describes the genetic comparison between canine and mouse isolates using multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). MLVA revealed that 8 out of the 11 loci compared were identical between the two human isolates. The human isolates clustered with the dog but not the mouse isolates. Moreover, the profile of one of the human isolates was identical to that of one of the dog isolates.