Silva-Ramos Carlos Ramiro, Matiz-González J Manuel, Barrero-Rubiano C Alexander, Villar Juan Diego, Cuéllar-Sáenz Jerson Andrés, López-Rivera Camila, Robayo-Sánchez Laura Natalia, Henao-Osorio José J, Cardona-Giraldo Alexandra, Mejorano-Fonseca Julián A, Agudelo-Flórez Piedad, Cortés-Vecino Jesús Alfredo, Faccini-Martínez Álvaro A, Cuervo Claudia, Ramírez-Chaves Héctor E, Hidalgo Marylin, Ramírez-Hernández Alejandro
Grupo de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia.
Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia.
Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis. 2025 Jun;120:102355. doi: 10.1016/j.cimid.2025.102355. Epub 2025 May 9.
Leptospira is a bacterial genus which includes several pathogenic species. Wild mammals can act as reservoir hosts, shedding bacteria in their urine. Leptospirosis is an important health problem in Villeta, but data regarding potential reservoirs hosts and natural sources of infection are still scarce. We aimed to detect and characterize the presence of Leptospira among small wild mammals from Villeta municipality, Colombia. Small wild mammals from three orders: Didelphimorphia, Chiroptera and Rodentia, were sampled in the region. DNA was extracted from kidney samples and screened for Leptospira through real-time PCR targeting a the 16 s rRNA gene. Positive samples were screened through conventional PCR using five complementary genes: adk, icdA, lipL32, lipL41 and secY. Amplicons were sequenced and used for phylogenetic analysis. A total of 75 kidney samples were collected from three small wild mammal orders: 62 bats, 5 opossums, and 7 rodents. Leptospira spp. was detected in 38.7 % of the samples, with bats presenting the most frequent infection rate (43.5 %). The infection rate varied by sampling site, with the highest frequency observed in Mave village (57.1 %). Concatenated phylogenetic analysis revealed that all sequences clustered within the P1/Pathogenic Leptospira major clade, forming three subclades: two bat-related Leptospira subclades, and one subclade including Leptospira interrogans, Leptospira kirschneri, and Leptospira noguchii species. This study describes the presence of Leptospira among bats and opossums from Villeta, Colombia. It also identifies the circulation of several P1/pathogenic Leptospira species among bats forming three clusters, two of them composed exclusively of bat-related leptospires, and one together with recognized pathogenic species.
钩端螺旋体是一个细菌属，其中包括几种致病物种。野生哺乳动物可作为储存宿主，通过尿液排出细菌。钩端螺旋体病在维列塔是一个重要的健康问题，但关于潜在储存宿主和自然感染源的数据仍然匮乏。我们旨在检测和鉴定哥伦比亚维列塔市小型野生哺乳动物中钩端螺旋体的存在情况。在该地区对来自三个目：负鼠目、翼手目和啮齿目的小型野生哺乳动物进行了采样。从肾脏样本中提取DNA，并通过针对16 s rRNA基因的实时PCR筛选钩端螺旋体。阳性样本通过使用五个互补基因：adk、icdA、lipL32、lipL41和secY的常规PCR进行筛选。对扩增子进行测序并用于系统发育分析。共从三个小型野生哺乳动物目收集了75个肾脏样本：62只蝙蝠、5只负鼠和7只啮齿动物。在38.7%的样本中检测到钩端螺旋体属，其中蝙蝠的感染率最高（43.5%）。感染率因采样地点而异，在马韦村观察到的频率最高（57.1%）。串联系统发育分析表明，所有序列都聚集在P1/致病性钩端螺旋体主要分支内，形成三个亚分支：两个与蝙蝠相关的钩端螺旋体亚分支，以及一个包括问号钩端螺旋体、克氏钩端螺旋体和诺氏钩端螺旋体物种的亚分支。本研究描述了哥伦比亚维列塔蝙蝠和负鼠中钩端螺旋体的存在情况。它还确定了几种P1/致病性钩端螺旋体物种在蝙蝠中形成三个簇的传播情况，其中两个簇仅由与蝙蝠相关的钩端螺旋体组成，另一个簇与公认的致病物种在一起。
