Human Leptospirosis on Reunion Island, Indian Ocean: Are Rodents the (Only) Ones to Blame?

ABSTRACT:

Background

Although leptospirosis is a zoonosis of major concern on tropical islands, the molecular epidemiology of the disease aiming at linking human cases to specific animal reservoirs has been rarely explored within these peculiar ecosystems.

Methodology/principal findings

Five species of wild small mammals (n = 995) as well as domestic animals (n = 101) were screened for Leptospira infection on Reunion Island; positive samples were subsequently genotyped and compared to Leptospira from clinical cases diagnosed in 2012-2013 (n = 66), using MLST analysis. We identified two pathogenic species in human cases, namely Leptospira interrogans and Leptospira borgpetersenii. Leptospira interrogans was by far dominant both in clinical samples (96.6%) and in infected animal samples

SUBMITTER: Guernier V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4905629 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature