Detection of pathogenic <i>Leptospira</i> spp. in peridomestic <i>Rattus norvegicus</i> in Hong Kong.

ABSTRACT: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic bacterial disease that has a global impact on human and animal health. Rats are known as natural reservoirs of pathogenic Leptospira species. In the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), the infection status of peridomestic rat species is not known. In this study, 250 rats belonging to four species (Rattus norvegicus, R. tanezumi, R. andamanensis, and Niviventer huang) were sampled from different ecological habitats across Hong Kong SAR in 2019, 2020, and 2022. The DNA extracted from the kidney tissues of the rats were screened using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the pathogen-specific leptospiral gene lipL32. The positive samples were then confirmed by PCR targeting the lfb-1 gene and were further

SUBMITTER: Uea-Anuwong T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12354790 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature