Molecular epidemiology of Leptospira spp. among wild mammals and a dog in Amami Oshima Island, Japan

A study on Amami Oshima Island, Japan, reveals diverse Leptospira genotypes and serotypes maintained among wild mammals, with black rats identified as a source of canine leptospirosis infection. Researchers isolated seven Leptospira strains from black rats, wild boars, a rabbit, and a dog using flaB sequencing and microscopic agglutination tests. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and multiple-locus variable-tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) showed identical genetic profiles in rat and canine isolates, while two distinct types were found in wild boar isolates. Wild boars exhibited a high infection rate (58.3%), suggesting they are significant maintenance hosts for Leptospira interrogans serogroup Hebdomadis, which has been linked to human and canine leptospirosis cases on the island.

Shinya, S., Muraoka, Y., Negishi, D., & Koizumi, N. (2021). Molecular epidemiology of Leptospira spp. among wild mammals and a dog in Amami Oshima Island, Japan. Plos One, 16(4), e0249987. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249987