Udechukwu Collins Chimezie, Kudi Caleb Ayuba, Abdu Paul Ayuba, Mamman Paul Habila, Pilau Nicholas Nathaniel, Abiayi Elmina Abiba, Amaje Joyce, Okoronkwo Magdalene Ogbonneya, Adekola Adewole Augustine
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, 810106, Nigeria.
Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, 810106, Nigeria.
J Wildl Dis. 2025 Jan 1;61(1):166-172. doi: 10.7589/JWD-D-23-00159.
Leptospirosis caused by the pathogenic serovars of Leptospira spp. is a zoonotic disease of global importance. Brown rats (Rattus norvegicus), due to their worldwide distribution and reservoir host status, are considered the most important reservoir for environmental leptospiral persistence and infections in animals. We aimed to isolate, identify, and characterize Leptospira spp. circulating among brown rat populations in Zaria, Kaduna state, Nigeria. Kidney samples from 305 brown rats from different locations in Zaria were collected April-June 2022 and cultured using bacteriologic methods. We also extracted DNA from 24 kidney tissue samples for molecular detection of pathogenic Leptospira spp. and for phylogenetic analysis. Leptospira spp. was detected in 57.7% of the samples by using culture methods and in 91.7% of the samples by using PCR. The phylogenetic tree revealed two distinct clusters among the reference sequences, aligning with the known P1 and P2 subclades. The sequences from this study all clustered together on the phylogenetic tree and were most similar to Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona strain RZ 11. The high prevalence of Leptospira spp. detected in Zaria suggests that further surveillance and assessment of the public risk are warranted.
由钩端螺旋体属致病血清型引起的钩端螺旋体病是一种具有全球重要性的人畜共患病。褐家鼠（Rattus norvegicus）由于其在全球的分布以及作为储存宿主的地位，被认为是环境中钩端螺旋体持续存在和动物感染的最重要储存宿主。我们旨在分离、鉴定和表征在尼日利亚卡杜纳州扎里亚的褐家鼠种群中传播的钩端螺旋体属。于2022年4月至6月收集了来自扎里亚不同地点的305只褐家鼠的肾脏样本，并采用细菌学方法进行培养。我们还从24个肾脏组织样本中提取了DNA，用于致病性钩端螺旋体属的分子检测和系统发育分析。通过培养方法在57.7%的样本中检测到钩端螺旋体属，通过PCR在91.7%的样本中检测到钩端螺旋体属。系统发育树显示参考序列中有两个不同的簇，与已知的P1和P2亚分支一致。本研究中的序列在系统发育树上都聚集在一起，并且与问号钩端螺旋体波摩那群菌株RZ 11最为相似。在扎里亚检测到的钩端螺旋体属的高流行率表明有必要进一步进行监测和评估公共风险。
