Detection of Pathogenic Leptospira Bacteria in Pinniped Populations via PCR and Identification of a Source of Transmission for Zoonotic Leptospirosis in the Marine Environment
ABSTRACT Leptospirosis, caused by the spirochete Leptospira , is a geographically widespread disease that affects a broad range of mammals, including marine mammals. Among pinniped populations, periodic epizootics of leptospirosis are responsible for significant die-offs. Along the west coast of Nor...
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Language: | English |
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/jcm.02022-07 https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/JCM.02022-07 |
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crasmicro:10.1128/jcm.02022-07 2024-06-23T07:52:30+00:00 Detection of Pathogenic Leptospira Bacteria in Pinniped Populations via PCR and Identification of a Source of Transmission for Zoonotic Leptospirosis in the Marine Environment Cameron, Caroline E. Zuerner, Richard L. Raverty, Stephen Colegrove, Kathleen M. Norman, Stephanie A. Lambourn, Dyanna M. Jeffries, Steven J. Gulland, Frances M. 2008 http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/jcm.02022-07 https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/JCM.02022-07 en eng American Society for Microbiology https://journals.asm.org/non-commercial-tdm-license Journal of Clinical Microbiology volume 46, issue 5, page 1728-1733 ISSN 0095-1137 1098-660X journal-article 2008 crasmicro https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.02022-07 2024-06-03T08:10:40Z ABSTRACT Leptospirosis, caused by the spirochete Leptospira , is a geographically widespread disease that affects a broad range of mammals, including marine mammals. Among pinniped populations, periodic epizootics of leptospirosis are responsible for significant die-offs. Along the west coast of North America, the most recent leptospirosis epizootic occurred in 2004, during which samples were collected from cases ranging from California to British Columbia. The primary objective of this study was to use this well-defined sample set to determine the feasibility of using PCR techniques to diagnose Leptospira infection among pinniped populations in comparison with diagnostic methodologies commonly used for marine mammals. Successful amplification was achieved from a variety of samples, including freshly collected urine, urine stored at −80°C for less than 6 months, and kidney (freshly collected, frozen, and decomposed), as well as feces- and urine-contaminated sand collected in the vicinity of a live-stranded animal. Pathological examination of tissue collected from Leptospira -infected animals revealed the presence of leptospiral antigen in the kidneys. The use of species-specific primer pairs revealed a pattern of host specificity for Leptospira interrogans in sea lions and Leptospira kirschneri in elephant seals. These studies indicate PCR is a sensitive and specific diagnostic tool for the detection of Leptospira infection in pinnipeds and reveal a potential source for epizootic, enzootic, and zoonotic spread of leptospirosis in a marine environment. Article in Journal/Newspaper Elephant Seals ASM Journals (American Society for Microbiology) Journal of Clinical Microbiology 46 5 1728 1733 |
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Open Polar |
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ASM Journals (American Society for Microbiology) |
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crasmicro |
language |
English |
description |
ABSTRACT Leptospirosis, caused by the spirochete Leptospira , is a geographically widespread disease that affects a broad range of mammals, including marine mammals. Among pinniped populations, periodic epizootics of leptospirosis are responsible for significant die-offs. Along the west coast of North America, the most recent leptospirosis epizootic occurred in 2004, during which samples were collected from cases ranging from California to British Columbia. The primary objective of this study was to use this well-defined sample set to determine the feasibility of using PCR techniques to diagnose Leptospira infection among pinniped populations in comparison with diagnostic methodologies commonly used for marine mammals. Successful amplification was achieved from a variety of samples, including freshly collected urine, urine stored at −80°C for less than 6 months, and kidney (freshly collected, frozen, and decomposed), as well as feces- and urine-contaminated sand collected in the vicinity of a live-stranded animal. Pathological examination of tissue collected from Leptospira -infected animals revealed the presence of leptospiral antigen in the kidneys. The use of species-specific primer pairs revealed a pattern of host specificity for Leptospira interrogans in sea lions and Leptospira kirschneri in elephant seals. These studies indicate PCR is a sensitive and specific diagnostic tool for the detection of Leptospira infection in pinnipeds and reveal a potential source for epizootic, enzootic, and zoonotic spread of leptospirosis in a marine environment. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Cameron, Caroline E. Zuerner, Richard L. Raverty, Stephen Colegrove, Kathleen M. Norman, Stephanie A. Lambourn, Dyanna M. Jeffries, Steven J. Gulland, Frances M. |
spellingShingle |
Cameron, Caroline E. Zuerner, Richard L. Raverty, Stephen Colegrove, Kathleen M. Norman, Stephanie A. Lambourn, Dyanna M. Jeffries, Steven J. Gulland, Frances M. Detection of Pathogenic Leptospira Bacteria in Pinniped Populations via PCR and Identification of a Source of Transmission for Zoonotic Leptospirosis in the Marine Environment |
author_facet |
Cameron, Caroline E. Zuerner, Richard L. Raverty, Stephen Colegrove, Kathleen M. Norman, Stephanie A. Lambourn, Dyanna M. Jeffries, Steven J. Gulland, Frances M. |
author_sort |
Cameron, Caroline E. |
title |
Detection of Pathogenic Leptospira Bacteria in Pinniped Populations via PCR and Identification of a Source of Transmission for Zoonotic Leptospirosis in the Marine Environment |
title_short |
Detection of Pathogenic Leptospira Bacteria in Pinniped Populations via PCR and Identification of a Source of Transmission for Zoonotic Leptospirosis in the Marine Environment |
title_full |
Detection of Pathogenic Leptospira Bacteria in Pinniped Populations via PCR and Identification of a Source of Transmission for Zoonotic Leptospirosis in the Marine Environment |
title_fullStr |
Detection of Pathogenic Leptospira Bacteria in Pinniped Populations via PCR and Identification of a Source of Transmission for Zoonotic Leptospirosis in the Marine Environment |
title_full_unstemmed |
Detection of Pathogenic Leptospira Bacteria in Pinniped Populations via PCR and Identification of a Source of Transmission for Zoonotic Leptospirosis in the Marine Environment |
title_sort |
detection of pathogenic leptospira bacteria in pinniped populations via pcr and identification of a source of transmission for zoonotic leptospirosis in the marine environment |
publisher |
American Society for Microbiology |
publishDate |
2008 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/jcm.02022-07 https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/JCM.02022-07 |
genre |
Elephant Seals |
genre_facet |
Elephant Seals |
op_source |
Journal of Clinical Microbiology volume 46, issue 5, page 1728-1733 ISSN 0095-1137 1098-660X |
op_rights |
https://journals.asm.org/non-commercial-tdm-license |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.02022-07 |
container_title |
Journal of Clinical Microbiology |
container_volume |
46 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
1728 |
op_container_end_page |
1733 |
_version_ |
1802643806563074048 |