Pathogenic<i>Leptospira</i>Species in Insectivorous Bats, China, 2015

Han, Hui-Ju; Wen, Hong-Ling; Liu, Jianwei; Qin, Xiang-Rong; Zhao, Min; Wang, Lijun; Luo, Limei; Zhou, Chunkui; Zhu, Yanyan; Qi, Rui; Li, Wenqian; Yu, Hao; Yu, Xue‐Jie

doi:10.3201/eid2406.171585

Cited by 22 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(14 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Thus, based on the La Scola et al (2006) recommendations, Grenadian bats harbor several distinct genotypes of Leptospira. Other studies have similarly demonstrated that even within a limited geographical range, bats are often infected with a diverse range of Leptospira [15,19,20] including potentially novel strains [16,43]. However, while the DNA sequences from PCR and phylogenetic analysis merely suggest that bats in Grenada have genetically diverse genotypes, of which several are possibly novel strains, DNA sequences alone are not considered sufficient to classify our unique bat-derived Leptospira genotypes reported herein as novel strains or species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Phylogenetic relationships and diversity of bat-associated Leptospira and the histopathological evaluation of these infections in bats from Grenada, West Indies

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Phylogenetic relationships and diversity of bat-associated Leptospira and the histopathological evaluation of these infections in bats from Grenada, West Indies

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Although less resolutive than the phylogenetic analysis with softcore genes, 16S rRNA analysis allows to appreciate the potential diversity that remains to be explored in Leptospira . In this sense, sequences from bats from China [27] clustered among P1 and long lengths of branches of some subclades suggest that some of these strains could correspond to unknown, potentially novel species yet to be isolated. A striking result was the high diversity of sequences recovered from the environment of the Peruvian Amazon and composing the previously named “clade C” [26].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The 16S rRNA sequences of the 66 genomes (including the outgroups), those of strains detected in the environment of the Peruvian Amazon [26] and insectivorous bats from eastern China [27] were aligned and positions of low confidence level masked using SSU-ALIGN version 0.1.1 (http://eddylab.org/software/ssu-align). The best-fit model was determined and a maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis with 10,000 ultrafast bootstraps was performed with the same tool with IQ-TREE version 1.6.7.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting the taxonomy and evolution of pathogenicity of the genus Leptospira through the prism of genomics

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The causative agents of leptospirosis are responsible for an emerging zoonotic disease worldwide. One of the major routes of transmission for leptospirosis is the natural environment contaminated with the urine of a wide range of reservoir animals. Soils and surface waters also host a high diversity of non-pathogenic Leptospira and species for which the virulence status is not clearly established. The genus Leptospira is currently divided into 35 species classified into three phylogenetic clusters, which supposedly correlate with the virulence of the bacteria. In this study, a total of 90 Leptospira strains isolated from different environments worldwide including Japan, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Algeria, mainland France, and the island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean were sequenced. A comparison of average nucleotide identity (ANI) values of genomes of the 90 isolates and representative genomes of known species revealed 30 new Leptospira species. These data also supported the existence of two clades and 4 subclades. To avoid classification that strongly implies assumption on the virulence status of the lineages, we called them P1, P2, S1, S2. One of these subclades has not yet been described and is composed of Leptospira idonii and 4 novel species that are phylogenetically related to the saprophytes. We then investigated genome diversity and evolutionary relationships among members of the genus Leptospira by studying the pangenome and core gene sets. Our data enable the identification of genome features, genes and domains that are important for each subclade, thereby laying the foundation for refining the classification of this complex bacterial genus. We also shed light on atypical genomic features of a group of species that includes the species often associated with human infection, suggesting a specific and ongoing evolution of this group of species that will require more attention. In conclusion, we have uncovered a massive species diversity and revealed a novel subclade in environmental samples collected worldwide and we have redefined the classification of species in the genus. The implication of several new potentially infectious Leptospira species for human and animal health remains to be determined but our data also provide new insights into the emergence of virulence in the pathogenic species.

show abstract

“…Many mammalian species, including pinnipeds and bats 45,46 , as well as birds, amphibians, and reptiles, are known to carry pathogenic Leptospira species 47,48 . Wild ecosystems, such as those in northern Okinawa, are vastly biodiverse, and several animals may act as potential reservoirs of Leptospira .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental DNA metabarcoding to detect pathogenic Leptospira and associated organisms in leptospirosis-endemic areas of Japan

Mizuyama

Sato

Minamoto

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Leptospires, which cause the zoonotic disease leptospirosis, persist in soil and aqueous environments. Several factors, including rainfall, the presence of reservoir animals, and various abiotic and biotic components interact to influence leptospiral survival, persistence, and pathogenicity in the environment. However, how these factors modulate the risk of infection is poorly understood. Here we developed an approach using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding for detecting the microbiome, vertebrates, and pathogenic Leptospira in aquatic samples. Specifically, we combined 4 sets of primers to generate PCR products for high-throughput sequencing of multiple amplicons through next-generation sequencing. Using our method to analyze the eDNA of leptospirosis-endemic areas in northern Okinawa, Japan, we found that the microbiota in each river shifted over time. Operating taxonomic units corresponding to pathogenic L . alstonii , L . kmetyi , and L . interrogans were detected in association with 12 nonpathogenic bacterial species. In addition, the frequencies of 11 of these species correlated with the amount of rainfall. Furthermore, 10 vertebrate species, including Sus scrofa , Pteropus dasymallus , and Cynops ensicauda , showed high correlation with leptospiral eDNA detection. Our eDNA metabarcoding method is a powerful tool for understanding the environmental phase of Leptospira and predicting human infection risk.

show abstract

PathogenicLeptospiraSpecies in Insectivorous Bats, China, 2015

Cited by 22 publications

References 12 publications

Phylogenetic relationships and diversity of bat-associated Leptospira and the histopathological evaluation of these infections in bats from Grenada, West Indies

Phylogenetic relationships and diversity of bat-associated Leptospira and the histopathological evaluation of these infections in bats from Grenada, West Indies

Revisiting the taxonomy and evolution of pathogenicity of the genus Leptospira through the prism of genomics

Environmental DNA metabarcoding to detect pathogenic Leptospira and associated organisms in leptospirosis-endemic areas of Japan

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About