Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), Centro de Saúde e Tecnologia Rural (CSTR), Av. Universitária, s/n, Santa Cecília, Patos, PB 58708-110, Brazil.
Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Av. Prof. Almeida Prado, 1280, São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil.
Acta Trop. 2021 Jan;213:105759. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105759. Epub 2020 Nov 13.
Even in the adverse environmental conditions of the semiarid region, leptospires can survive and spread by alternative routes of transmission, such as sexual in ewes, however, there is no data on rams. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the use of serological, molecular and microbial tools applied to diagnosis of Leptospira sp. Infection in rams maintained in semiarid conditions. Biological samples of urinary (urine, kidney and bladder) and genital (vas deferens, epididymis tail and vesicular gland) tracts were collected from 40 slaughtered rams for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and bacterial isolation, as well as blood samples for antibody detection through microscopic serum agglutination test (MAT). Anti-Leptospira antibodies were found in five (12.5%) animals with antibody titer of 50 and 2 (5%) for the titer 100 for serogroups Pyrogenes, Ballum, Icterohaemorrhagiae and Australis. Leptospira sp. DNA was found in PCR of organs and urine of 30 (75%) animals. Overall, 240 fragments of organs from the urinary and genital tracts and urine were evaluated, with 93 (38.7%) positive samples, being 48/120 (40%) for the urinary tract and 45/120 (37.5%) for the genital. There was no statistically significant difference between the tracts. A bladder sample was sent for sequencing and showed 99% similarity with L. interrogans. Of the 240 cultures evaluated, 59 (24.5%) had leptospire growth, being that 23 (39%) were confirmed in PCR. Considering the PCR of organs and urine and bacterial growth as gold standards, the cut-off 50 in MAT showed greater sensitivity when compared to cut-off 100, regardless of the material used. The great proportion of leptospiral DNA in organs, urine and culture and bacterial growth from the genital tracts reinforce its importance as an extra-renal site and highlights the possible role of rams in venereal transmission, as well as the sensitivity of the cut-off 50 suggested its adoption in the serology of rams maintained in semiarid conditions.
即使在半干旱地区的不利环境条件下，钩端螺旋体也可以通过替代传播途径生存和传播，例如母羊的性传播途径，但在公羊中没有数据。因此，本研究旨在评估血清学、分子和微生物工具在诊断半干旱条件下维持的公羊中钩端螺旋体感染的应用。从 40 只屠宰的公羊中采集了尿液（尿液、肾脏和膀胱）和生殖器（输精管、附睾尾和精囊）的生物样本，用于聚合酶链反应（PCR）和细菌分离，以及血液样本用于通过显微镜血清凝集试验（MAT）检测抗体。在 5 只（12.5%）动物中发现了抗钩端螺旋体抗体，抗体滴度为 50，2 只（5%）的血清滴度为 100，血清群为 Pyrogenes、Ballum、Icterohaemorrhagiae 和 Australis。在器官和尿液的 PCR 中发现了钩端螺旋体 sp.DNA 在 30 只（75%）动物中。总的来说，评估了来自泌尿和生殖器官的 240 个组织片段和尿液，有 93 个（38.7%）阳性样本，其中泌尿生殖道 48/120（40%），生殖生殖道 45/120（37.5%）。两个流域之间没有统计学上的显著差异。一个膀胱样本被送去测序，与 L. interrogans 显示出 99%的相似性。在评估的 240 个培养物中，有 59 个（24.5%）有钩端螺旋体生长，其中 23 个（39%）在 PCR 中得到确认。考虑到器官和尿液的 PCR 以及细菌生长作为金标准，与 100 的截止值相比，MAT 的 50 截止值显示出更高的敏感性，无论使用哪种材料。器官、尿液和培养物中的钩端螺旋体 DNA 比例较大，以及生殖器官中的细菌生长，都强调了其作为肾外部位的重要性，并突出了公羊在性病传播中的可能作用，同时建议采用 50 的截止值来进行半干旱条件下公羊的血清学检测。
