Leptospirosis in the Platypus (<i>Ornithorhynchus anatinus</i>) in Australia: Who Is Infecting Whom?

ABSTRACT: The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is an amphibious, egg-laying mammal of high conservation value that is found only in Australia. The zoonotic bacterium Leptospira interrogans serovar Hardjo was discovered in platypuses in prior studies, but little is known about its epidemiology. Samples in the Platypus Serum Bank were tested in 2023 and the results were combined with historical records. Antibodies against L. interrogans serovar Hardjo were found in 50% of 464 serum samples from 411 platypuses collected from 14 river basins in southeastern Australia between 1981 and 2012; prevalence remained high over three decades in the Shoalhaven River population. Seroprevalence increased with age, suggesting environmental exposure. Individual platypuses had persistent titres

SUBMITTER: Whittington RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11476178 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature