Department of Veterinary Medicine and Epidemiology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.
Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2020 Jun;20(6):418-426. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2019.2528. Epub 2020 Feb 4.
Leptospirosis is a globally important, fatal disease of humans, and over 160 species of animals are associated with more than 250 bacterial serovars in 64 species, but its ecology varies regionally and has changed over time with expansion of human development on previously agricultural and wild land. Sporadic human cases and clusters of canine leptospirosis, primarily attributable to serogroup Pomona, have been detected in northern California. Small mesocarnivores such as raccoons and skunks frequent peridomestic space across much of the western United States and could serve as reservoirs for human and canine leptospirosis. We aimed to summarize the prevalence of infection with pathogenic leptospires in skunk and raccoon renal and urinary samples across broad geographic zones in California, and to determine whether prevalence changed during wet and dry seasons, and as functions of host species and demographic characters. Overall, 25.6% (22/86 tested) of raccoons and 28.5% (39/137 tested) of skunks were PCR-positive for spp. in either renal tissue or urine, with leptospiral DNA in 22.0% of kidney samples and 18.8% of urine samples from raccoons and 27.8% and 14.5% of kidney and urine samples from skunks, respectively. Raccoons from the Central California and skunks from the San Francisco Bay Area had the highest overall PCR-prevalence (35.7% and 44.4%), respectively, and adults were more likely to be PCR-positive for spp. than juveniles. There was moderate agreement between urine and renal tissue spp. PCR with sensitivity for both host species in renal tissue of 0.86-0.97 and 0.42-0.64 in urine. Cases of human leptospirosis are thought to be underrecognized in the continental United States and possibly increasing in some states, including California. Our data document regionally high rates of infection in common mesocarnivores, which can pose a threat to humans and dogs, revealing an important periurban epidemiological cycle.
钩端螺旋体病是一种全球性的重要致命性人类疾病，超过 160 种动物与 64 种中的 250 多种细菌血清型相关，但随着人类在先前的农业和野生土地上的开发不断扩张，其生态在区域上发生了变化，并且随时间推移而发生了变化。在加利福尼亚州北部已经发现了散发性人类病例和犬钩端螺旋体病群，主要归因于波蒙那血清群。浣熊和臭鼬等小型中型食肉动物在美国西部大部分地区的半家庭环境中很常见，它们可能是人类和犬类钩端螺旋体病的储存宿主。我们旨在总结加利福尼亚州广泛地理区域内臭鼬和浣熊肾和尿液样本中致病性钩端螺旋体感染的流行率，并确定其在湿季和干季以及作为宿主物种和人口特征的函数是否发生变化。总体而言，在 86 个测试的浣熊中有 25.6%（22/86），在 137 个测试的臭鼬中有 28.5%（39/137）在肾组织或尿液中 PCR 检测到 spp.，在 22.0%的肾脏样本和 18.8%的尿液样本中检测到钩端螺旋体 DNA，在 27.8%和 14.5%的肾脏和尿液样本中分别来自臭鼬。来自加利福尼亚中部的浣熊和来自旧金山湾区的臭鼬的总体 PCR 阳性率最高（分别为 35.7%和 44.4%），成年动物比幼崽更有可能对 spp.进行 PCR 检测。尿液和肾组织的 spp. PCR 之间存在中度一致性，肾组织中两种宿主物种的敏感性分别为 0.86-0.97 和 0.42-0.64，尿液中的敏感性分别为 0.42-0.64。在美国大陆，人类钩端螺旋体病的病例被认为被低估了，在一些州，包括加利福尼亚州，病例可能正在增加。我们的数据记录了常见中型食肉动物在区域内的高感染率，这对人类和狗构成了威胁，揭示了一个重要的城市周边流行病学循环。
