de Oliveira Natasha Rodrigues, Kremer Frederico Schmitt, de Brito Risciela Salardi Alves, Zamboni Rosimeri, Dellagostin Odir Antônio, Jorge Sérgio
Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico, Núcleo de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas 96160-000, RS, Brazil.
Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas 96160-000, RS, Brazil.
Trop Med Infect Dis. 2022 Oct 28;7(11):333. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed7110333.
Dogs are highly susceptible to leptospirosis and are a public health concern due to their important role as a source of spreading disease, particularly in urban settings. In this study, we present the pathogenesis, serological characterization, and complete genome sequencing of a virulent Brazilian strain (NEG7) of serovar Copenhageni isolated from the urine of a dog that died due to acute leptospirosis. Clinical investigation showed that the dog was presented with icteric mucous membranes, weakness, dehydration, anorexia, and kidney and liver failures. Necropsy followed by histopathological evaluation revealed lesions compatible with liver and kidney leptospirosis. The leptospires recovered from the urine were further characterized by genome analysis, which confirmed that the isolate belonged to serogroup icterohaemorrhagiae serovar Copenhageni. Multiple bioinformatics tools were used to characterize the genomic features, and comparisons with other available Copenhageni strains were performed. Characterization based on absence of an INDEL in the gene lic12008, associated with phylogenetic and ANI (99.99% identity) analyses, confirmed the genetic relatedness of the isolate with serovar Copenhageni. A better understanding of the diversity of the pathogenic Leptospira isolates could help in identifying genotypes responsible for severe infections. Moreover, it can be used to develop control and prevention strategies for Leptospira serovars associated with particular animal reservoirs.
狗对钩端螺旋体病高度易感，并且由于其作为疾病传播源的重要作用，尤其是在城市环境中，成为了一个公共卫生问题。在本研究中，我们展示了从一只因急性钩端螺旋体病死亡的狗的尿液中分离出的一株强毒巴西哥本哈根血清型菌株（NEG7）的发病机制、血清学特征和全基因组测序。临床调查显示，这只狗出现了黄疸性黏膜、虚弱、脱水、厌食以及肝肾衰竭。尸检及组织病理学评估显示存在与肝肾钩端螺旋体病相符的病变。从尿液中分离出的钩端螺旋体通过基因组分析进一步鉴定，证实该分离株属于黄疸出血群哥本哈根血清型。使用多种生物信息学工具对基因组特征进行了鉴定，并与其他可用的哥本哈根菌株进行了比较。基于与系统发育和ANI（99.99%同一性）分析相关的lic12008基因中不存在插入缺失进行的鉴定，证实了该分离株与哥本哈根血清型的遗传相关性。更好地了解致病性钩端螺旋体分离株的多样性有助于识别导致严重感染的基因型。此外，它可用于制定针对与特定动物宿主相关的钩端螺旋体血清型的控制和预防策略。
