Seroprevalence and Molecular Characterization of Leptospira spp. in Rats Captured near Pig Farms in Colombia

Sara López-Osorio, Diego A. Molano, Anderson López-Arias, Nélida Rodríguez-Osorio, Corina Zambrano and Jenny J. Chaparro-Gutiérrez ()
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Sara López-Osorio: Grupo de Investigación CIBAV, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Antioquia-UdeA, Medellín 050034, Colombia
Diego A. Molano: Grupo de Investigación CIBAV, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Antioquia-UdeA, Medellín 050034, Colombia
Anderson López-Arias: Grupo de Investigación CIBAV, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Antioquia-UdeA, Medellín 050034, Colombia
Nélida Rodríguez-Osorio: Unidad de Genómica y Bioinformática, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Centro Universitario Regional Litoral Norte, Universidad de la República, Rivera 1350, Salto 50000, Uruguay
Corina Zambrano: Asociación Porkcolombia-FNP, Ceniporcino, Bogotá 111311, Colombia
Jenny J. Chaparro-Gutiérrez: Grupo de Investigación CIBAV, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Antioquia-UdeA, Medellín 050034, Colombia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 18, 1-11

Abstract: Gram-negative spirochete Leptospira spp. causes leptospirosis. Leptospirosis is still a neglected disease, even though it can cause potentially fatal infections in a variety of species including humans. The purpose of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of leptospirosis in pig farm captured rodents and characterize the isolated samples. Rats were captured, sampled, and euthanized in the vicinity of pig farms to obtain serum for microagglutination tests (MAT) and kidney tissues for PCR amplification of the 16S rRNA and LipL32 genes. A fraction of the 16S rRNA PCR product was sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed. The results showed a Leptospira seroprevalence of 13.8% (77/555) among the 555 captured rats. PCR positivity for Leptospira spp. reached 31.2% (156/500), and the positivity for pathogenic Leptospira spp. was 4% (22/500). Phylogenetic analysis matched eight samples with L. interrogans serovar icterohaemorrhagiae and two with L. interrogans serovar pyrogenes. Two sequences were located within the pathogenic Leptospira clade but did not match with any specific strain. The seroprevalence found in the rats around swine farms indicates a potential risk of transmission to the pigs. The identification of pathogenic Leptospira outlines the importance of more research as well as updating the current strategies for the diagnosis, control, and prevention of porcine leptospirosis in Colombia.

Keywords: synanthropic rats; microagglutination tests; phylogenetic analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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