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Ulsenheimer BC, Tonin AA, von Laer AE, Dos Santos HF, Sangioni LA, Fighera R, Dos Santos MY, Brayer DI, de Avila Botton S. Leptospira borgptersenii and Leptospira interrogans identified in wild mammals in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Braz J Microbiol 2024; 55:1941-1948. [PMID: 38691328 PMCID: PMC11153429 DOI: 10.1007/s42770-024-01348-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Leptospira spp. are bacteria responsible for leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease with considerable impacts on the economy, animal health, and public health. This disease has a global distribution and is particularly prevalent in Brazil. Both rural and urban environments are habitats for Leptospira spp., which are primarily transmitted through contact with the urine of infected animals. Consequently, domestic and wild species can harbor these prokaryotes and serve as infection sources for other hosts. In the context of wild animals, there is a dearth of molecular studies elucidating the roles of various animal and bacterial species in the epidemiology of leptospirosis. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the presence of Leptospira spp. DNA in different species of free-living and captive wild animals and to assess the phylogenetic relationships of the identified microorganisms in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The samples were evaluated for the presence of the gene lipL32 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of the amplified fragment after which phylogenetic analyzes were carried out. DNA from Leptospira spp. was extracted from kidney tissue from wild animals (Mammalia class). Pathogenic Leptospira spp. DNA was detected in 9.6% (11/114) of the samples, originating from nine species of wild animals, including the white-eared opossum (Didelphis albiventris), skunk (Conepatus chinga), geoffroy's cat (Leopardus geoffroyi), margay (Leopardus wiedii), pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus), capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), neotropical river otter (Lontra longicaudis), and european hare (Lepus europaeus). Phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of Leptospira borgpetersenii and Leptospira interrogans in these animals. This research is the first study contributing to the epidemiology of leptospirosis by identifying L. borgpetersenii and L. interrogans in free-living and captive wild animals in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, potentially acting as bacterial reservoirs. Additionally, our findings can inform sanitary measures for controlling and preventing the disease, thereby safeguarding public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna Carolina Ulsenheimer
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva (DMVP), Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária (PPGMV), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Centro de Ciências Rurais (CCR), Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 97105-900, Brasil
- Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia (DMIP), Laboratório de Diagnóstico e Pesquisa em Leptospirose (LabLepto), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Santa Maria, CEP 97105-900, Brasil
| | - Alexandre Alberto Tonin
- Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia (DMIP), Laboratório de Diagnóstico e Pesquisa em Leptospirose (LabLepto), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Santa Maria, CEP 97105-900, Brasil
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Amazonas (IFAM), Campus Manaus, Manaus, Amazonas, CEP 69083-000, Brasil
| | - Ana Eucares von Laer
- Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia (DMIP), Laboratório de Diagnóstico e Pesquisa em Leptospirose (LabLepto), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Santa Maria, CEP 97105-900, Brasil
| | - Helton Fernandes Dos Santos
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva (DMVP), Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária (PPGMV), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Centro de Ciências Rurais (CCR), Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 97105-900, Brasil
| | - Luís Antônio Sangioni
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva (DMVP), Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária (PPGMV), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Centro de Ciências Rurais (CCR), Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 97105-900, Brasil
| | - Rafael Fighera
- Departamento de Patologia. Laboratório de Patologia Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 97105-900, Brasil
| | - Matheus Yuri Dos Santos
- Departamento de Patologia. Laboratório de Patologia Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 97105-900, Brasil
| | - Daniela Isabel Brayer
- Instituto de Biologia (IB), Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia (DMIP), Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel), Capão do Leão, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 96010-900, Brasil
| | - Sônia de Avila Botton
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva (DMVP), Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária (PPGMV), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Centro de Ciências Rurais (CCR), Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 97105-900, Brasil.
- Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia (DMIP), Laboratório de Diagnóstico e Pesquisa em Leptospirose (LabLepto), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Santa Maria, CEP 97105-900, Brasil.
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Hamond C, Adam EN, Stone NE, LeCount K, Anderson T, Putz EJ, Camp P, Hicks J, Stuber T, van der Linden H, Bayles DO, Sahl JW, Schlater LK, Wagner DM, Nally JE. Identification of equine mares as reservoir hosts for pathogenic species of Leptospira. Front Vet Sci 2024; 11:1346713. [PMID: 38784659 PMCID: PMC11112012 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1346713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Equine leptospirosis can result in abortion, stillbirth, neonatal death, placentitis, and uveitis. Horses can also act as subclinical reservoir hosts of infection, which are characterized as asymptomatic carriers that persistently excrete leptospires and transmit disease. In this study, PCR and culture were used to assess urinary shedding of pathogenic Leptospira from 37 asymptomatic mares. Three asymptomatic mares, designated as H2, H8, and H9, were PCR-positive for lipL32, a gene specific for pathogenic species of Leptospira. One asymptomatic mare, H9, was culture-positive, and the recovered isolate was classified as L. kirschneri serogroup Australis serovar Rushan. DNA capture and enrichment of Leptospira genomic DNA from PCR-positive, culture-negative samples determined that asymptomatic mare H8 was also shedding L. kirschneri serogroup Australis, whereas asymptomatic mare H2 was shedding L. interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae. Sera from all asymptomatic mares were tested by the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and 35 of 37 (94.6%) were seropositive with titers ranging from 1:100 to 1:3200. In contrast to asymptomatic mares, mare H44 presented with acute spontaneous abortion and a serum MAT titer of 1:102,400 to L. interrogans serogroup Pomona serovar Pomona. Comparison of L. kirschneri serogroup Australis strain H9 with that of L. interrogans serogroup Pomona strain H44 in the hamster model of leptospirosis corroborated differences in virulence of strains. Since lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a protective antigen in bacterin vaccines, the LPS of strain H9 (associated with subclinical carriage) was compared with strain H44 (associated with spontaneous abortion). This revealed different LPS profiles and immunoreactivity with reference antisera. It is essential to know what species and serovars of Leptospira are circulating in equine populations to design efficacious vaccines and diagnostic tests. Our results demonstrate that horses in the US can act as reservoir hosts of leptospirosis and shed diverse pathogenic Leptospira species via urine. This report also details the detection of L. kirschneri serogroup Australis serovar Rushan, a species and serotype of Leptospira, not previously reported in the US.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Hamond
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
- National Centers for Animal Health Leptospira Working Group, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Emma N. Adam
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Nathan E. Stone
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States
| | - Karen LeCount
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
- National Centers for Animal Health Leptospira Working Group, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Tammy Anderson
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
- National Centers for Animal Health Leptospira Working Group, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Ellie J. Putz
- Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Patrick Camp
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Jessica Hicks
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Tod Stuber
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Hans van der Linden
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and National Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Darrell O. Bayles
- Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Jason W. Sahl
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States
| | - Linda K. Schlater
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
- National Centers for Animal Health Leptospira Working Group, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - David M. Wagner
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States
| | - Jarlath E. Nally
- National Centers for Animal Health Leptospira Working Group, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
- Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
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Ulsenheimer BC, Dos Santos MY, Della Flora B, Matarrita DAR, de Avila Botton S, Von Laer AE, Pereira DIB, Fighera RA, Tonin AA. Detection of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in unconventional pets. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2024; 108:102158. [PMID: 38513385 DOI: 10.1016/j.cimid.2024.102158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a disease caused by Leptospira spp. responsible for considerable impacts on the public and animal health. In the past two decades, non-domesticated species of pets (unconventional pets) have become popular. However, the role of these unconventional pets on maintaining diseases still unclear. Therefore, the objective of this study was to survey the presence of Leptospira spp. DNA in unconventional pets. Samples of kidney tissues from 29 animals belonging to the Mammalia class (including Orders Carnivora, Lagomorpha and Rodentia) were analyzed for the presence of the gene lipL32. As a result, DNA of pathogenic Leptospira spp. from specie L. interrogans was detected in four (13,80%) of the analyzed samples: three from Oryctolagus cuniculus and one from Mesocricetus auratus. This study highlights the importance of epidemiological surveillance of leptospirosis, as it identified in species of unconventional pets, that may possibly act as reservoirs of Leptospira spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna Carolina Ulsenheimer
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Veterinária da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Brazil; Laboratório de Pesquisa e Diagnóstico em Leptospirose (LABLEPTO), UFSM, Brazil.
| | - Matheus Yuri Dos Santos
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Veterinária da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Brazil; Laboratório de Patologia Veterinária - Serviço de Consultoria Diagnóstica Veterinária (SEDIVET), UFSM, Brazil.
| | - Bruna Della Flora
- Laboratório de Pesquisa e Diagnóstico em Leptospirose (LABLEPTO), UFSM, Brazil.
| | | | - Sônia de Avila Botton
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Veterinária da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Brazil; Laboratório de Pesquisa e Diagnóstico em Leptospirose (LABLEPTO), UFSM, Brazil.
| | | | - Daniela Isabel Brayer Pereira
- Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia, Instituto de Biologia (IB), Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel), Campus Universitário Capão do Leão, Brazil.
| | - Rafael Almeida Fighera
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Veterinária da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Brazil; Laboratório de Patologia Veterinária - Serviço de Consultoria Diagnóstica Veterinária (SEDIVET), UFSM, Brazil.
| | - Alexandre Alberto Tonin
- Laboratório de Patologia Veterinária - Serviço de Consultoria Diagnóstica Veterinária (SEDIVET), UFSM, Brazil.
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Kamaruzaman INA, Staton GJ, Ainsworth S, Carter SD, Evans NJ. Characterisation of Putative Outer Membrane Proteins from Leptospira borgpetersenii Serovar Hardjo-Bovis Identifies Novel Adhesins and Diversity in Adhesion across Genomospecies Orthologs. Microorganisms 2024; 12:245. [PMID: 38399649 PMCID: PMC10891613 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12020245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic bacterial disease affecting mammalian species worldwide. Cattle are a major susceptible host; infection with pathogenic Leptospira spp. represents a public health risk and results in reproductive failure and reduced milk yield, causing economic losses. The characterisation of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) from disease-causing bacteria dissects pathogenesis and underpins vaccine development. As most leptospire pathogenesis research has focused on Leptospira interrogans, this study aimed to characterise novel OMPs from another important genomospecies, Leptospira borgpetersenii, which has global distribution and is relevant to bovine and human diseases. Several putative L. borgpetersenii OMPs were recombinantly expressed, refolded and purified, and evaluated for function and immunogenicity. Two of these unique, putative OMPs (rLBL0972 and rLBL2618) bound to immobilised fibronectin, laminin and fibrinogen, which, together with structural and functional data, supports their classification as leptospiral adhesins. A third putative OMP (rLBL0375), did not exhibit saturable adhesion ability but, together with rLBL0972 and the included control, OmpL1, demonstrated significant cattle milk IgG antibody reactivity from infected cows. To dissect leptospire host-pathogen interactions further, we expressed alleles of OmpL1 and a novel multi-specific adhesin, rLBL2618, from a variety of genomospecies and surveyed their adhesion ability, with both proteins exhibiting divergences in extracellular matrix component binding specificity across synthesised orthologs. We also observed functional redundancy across different L. borgspetersenii OMPs which, together with diversity in function across genomospecies orthologs, delineates multiple levels of plasticity in adhesion that is potentially driven by immune selection and host adaptation. These data identify novel leptospiral proteins which should be further evaluated as vaccine and/or diagnostic candidates. Moreover, functional redundancy across leptospire surface proteins together with identified adhesion divergence across genomospecies further dissect the complex host-pathogen interactions of a genus responsible for substantial global disease burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Intan Noor Aina Kamaruzaman
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary & Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Chester High Road, Neston CH64 7TE, UK; (I.N.A.K.); (G.J.S.); (S.A.); (S.D.C.)
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Locked Bag 36, Kota Bharu 16100, Malaysia
| | - Gareth James Staton
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary & Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Chester High Road, Neston CH64 7TE, UK; (I.N.A.K.); (G.J.S.); (S.A.); (S.D.C.)
| | - Stuart Ainsworth
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary & Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Chester High Road, Neston CH64 7TE, UK; (I.N.A.K.); (G.J.S.); (S.A.); (S.D.C.)
| | - Stuart D. Carter
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary & Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Chester High Road, Neston CH64 7TE, UK; (I.N.A.K.); (G.J.S.); (S.A.); (S.D.C.)
| | - Nicholas James Evans
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary & Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Chester High Road, Neston CH64 7TE, UK; (I.N.A.K.); (G.J.S.); (S.A.); (S.D.C.)
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Phukan H, Sarma A, Rex DAB, Christie SAD, Sabu SK, Hariharan S, Prasad TSK, Madanan MG. Physiological Temperature and Osmotic Changes Drive Dynamic Proteome Alterations in the Leptospiral Outer Membrane and Enhance Protein Export Systems. J Proteome Res 2023; 22:3447-3463. [PMID: 37877620 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.3c00295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Leptospirosis, a remerging zoonosis, has no effective vaccine or an unambiguous early diagnostic reagent. Proteins differentially expressed (DE) under pathogenic conditions will be useful candidates for antileptospiral measures. We employed a multipronged approach comprising high-resolution TMT-labeled LC-MS/MS-based proteome analysis coupled with bioinformatics on leptospiral proteins following Triton X-114 subcellular fractionation of leptospires treated under physiological temperature and osmolarity that mimic infection. Although there were significant changes in the DE proteins at the level of the entire cell, there were notable changes in proteins at the subcellular level, particularly on the outer membrane (OM), that show the significance of subcellular proteome analysis. The detergent-enriched proteins, representing outer membrane proteins (OMPs), exhibited a dynamic nature and upregulation under various physiological conditions. It was found that pathogenic proteins showed a higher proportion of upregulation compared to the nonpathogenic proteins in the OM. Further analysis identified 17 virulent proteins exclusively upregulated in the outer membrane during infection that could be useful for vaccine and diagnostic targets. The DE proteins may aid in metabolic adaptation and are enriched in pathways related to signal transduction and antibiotic biosynthesis. Many upregulated proteins belong to protein export systems such as SEC translocase, T2SSs, and T1SSs, indicating their sequential participation in protein transport to the outer leaflet of the OM. Further studies on OM-localized proteins may shed light on the pathogenesis of leptospirosis and serve as the basis for effective countermeasures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Homen Phukan
- Department of Biochemistry, ICMR - Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair 744103, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
| | - Abhijit Sarma
- Department of Biochemistry, ICMR - Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair 744103, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
| | - Devasahayam Arokia Balaya Rex
- Center for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore 575018, India
| | | | - Sarath Kizhakkemuriyil Sabu
- Department of Biochemistry, ICMR - Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair 744103, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
| | - Suneetha Hariharan
- Department of Biochemistry, ICMR - Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair 744103, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
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Azevedo IR, Amamura TA, Isaac L. Human leptospirosis: In search for a better vaccine. Scand J Immunol 2023; 98:e13316. [PMID: 39008520 DOI: 10.1111/sji.13316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a neglected disease caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira and is more prevalent in tropical and subtropical countries. This pathogen infects humans and other animals, responsible for the most widespread zoonosis in the world, estimated to be responsible for 60 000 deaths and 1 million cases per year. To date, commercial vaccines against human leptospirosis are available only in some countries such as Japan, China, Cuba and France. These vaccines prepared with inactivated Leptospira (bacterins) induce a short-term and serovar-specific immune response, with strong adverse side effects. To circumvent these limitations, several research groups are investigating new experimental vaccines in order to ensure that they are safe, efficient, and protect against several pathogenic Leptospira serovars, inducing sterilizing immunity. Most of these protocols use attenuated cultures, preparations after LPS removal, recombinant proteins or DNA from pathogenic Leptospira spp. The aim of this review was to highlight several promising vaccine candidates, considering their immunogenicity, presence in different pathogenic Leptospira serovars, their role in virulence or immune evasion and other factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabela Resende Azevedo
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thais Akemi Amamura
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lourdes Isaac
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Kędzierska-Mieszkowska S. Sigma factors of RNA polymerase in the pathogenic spirochaete Leptospira interrogans, the causative agent of leptospirosis. FASEB J 2023; 37:e23163. [PMID: 37688587 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202300252rrr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on the role of σ factors in a highly invasive spirochaete Leptospira interrogans responsible for leptospirosis that affects many mammals, including humans. This disease has a significant impact on public health and the economy worldwide. In bacteria, σ factors are the key regulators of gene expression at the transcriptional level and therefore play an important role in bacterial adaptative response to different environmental stimuli. These factors form a holoenzyme with the RNA polymerase core enzyme and then direct it to specific promoters, which results in turning on selected genes. Most bacteria possess several different σ factors that enable them to maintain basal gene expression, as well as to regulate gene expression in response to specific environmental signals. Recent comparative genomics and in silico genome-wide analyses have revealed that the L. interrogans genome, consisting of two circular chromosomes, encodes a total of 14 σ factors. Among them, there is one putative housekeeping σ70 -like factor, and three types of alternative σ factors, i.e., one σ54 , one σ28 and 11 putative ECF (extracytoplasmic function) σE -type factors. Here, characteristics of these putative σ factors and their possible role in the L. interrogans gene regulation (especially in this pathogen's adaptive response to various environmental conditions, an important determinant of leptospiral virulence), are presented.
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Gharakhani M, Faezi Ghasemi M, Khaki P, Esmaelizad M, Tebianian M. Improvement the expression and purification of Loa22: a lipoprotein with OmpA domain from pathogenic Leptospira serovars. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY 2023; 15:674-684. [PMID: 37941886 PMCID: PMC10628081 DOI: 10.18502/ijm.v15i5.13873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Background and Objectives One of the highly conserved outer membrane proteins expressed only by pathogenic Leptospires is Loa22. The study aims is to achieve the optimum conditions for high expression of recombinant Loa22 (rLoa22) protein. Materials and Methods Complete coding sequence of loa22 gene sub-cloned into a pET32a (+) expression vector. BL21 competent E. coli (pLysS) used as expression host for transformation. The recombinant clones selected on ampicillin plates and subjected to PCR by using pET T7 primers. Then expression conditions optimized by adjusting parameters such as culture media, induction time, temperature, and IPTG concentration. Results SDS-PAGE analysis showed that high production of rLoa22 protein obtained when post induction incubation, IPTG concentration, and duration of induction were 37°C, 0.1 M and 5 h in 2×TY medium respectively. The purification of rLoa22 protein under native conditions using Ni-NTA pull-down was optimum in one hour binding at 37°C, five times washing process and elution buffer with a pH 7.4 and a 0.3 M imidazole concentration. Conclusion The findings of the study led to high production of pure Loa22 protein, which can form the basis for future investigation on the design of rapid diagnostic tests and more effective vaccine candidates for leptospirosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Gharakhani
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Lahijan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Lahijan, Iran
| | - Mohammad Faezi Ghasemi
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Lahijan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Lahijan, Iran
| | - Pejvak Khaki
- Department of Microbiology, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
| | - Majid Esmaelizad
- Department of Research and Development, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
| | - Majid Tebianian
- Department of Immunology, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
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Fernandes LGV, Foltran BB, Teixeira AF, Nascimento ALTO. LipL41 and LigA/LigB Gene Silencing on a LipL32 Knockout Leptospira interrogans Reveals the Impact of Multiple Mutations on Virulence. Pathogens 2023; 12:1191. [PMID: 37887707 PMCID: PMC10610384 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12101191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a global zoonosis caused by pathogenic bacteria of the genus Leptospira. The application of the CRISPR/Cas9 system has facilitated the generation of mutants and subsequent evaluation of phenotypes. Since DNA breaks induced by RNA-guided Cas9 nuclease are lethal to Leptospira, different methodologies were implemented to overcome this limitation. Initially, CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) was employed to create knockdown mutants, utilizing a catalytically inactive Cas9 (dCas9). Subsequently, the co-expression of CRISPR/Cas9 and a DNA repair system from Mycobacterium smegmatis enabled the generation of scarless knockout mutants. We eliminated plasmids from the lipL32 knockout L. interrogans strain and further achieved multiple gene mutations via gene silencing in this knockout background. Strains lacking both LipL41 and LipL32 and LigA, LigB, and LipL32, were evaluated. The absence of proteins LipL32 and LipL41 had no effect on leptospiral virulence. On the other hand, mutants lacking LigA, LigB, and LipL32 were unable to cause acute disease. The expanded apparatus for genetic manipulation of pathogenic leptospires via the CRISPR/Cas9 system has allowed the evaluation of multiple mutations upon leptospiral virulence. This work shows that LipL32 and LipL41 are not required for acute disease and consolidates LigA and LigB proteins as virulence factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Guilherme V. Fernandes
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan, Avenida Vital Brazil, 1500, São Paulo 05503-900, SP, Brazil; (B.B.F.); (A.F.T.)
| | - Bruno B. Foltran
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan, Avenida Vital Brazil, 1500, São Paulo 05503-900, SP, Brazil; (B.B.F.); (A.F.T.)
- Programa de Pos-Graduacao Interunidades em Biotecnologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, São Paulo 05508-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Aline F. Teixeira
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan, Avenida Vital Brazil, 1500, São Paulo 05503-900, SP, Brazil; (B.B.F.); (A.F.T.)
| | - Ana Lucia Tabet Oller Nascimento
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan, Avenida Vital Brazil, 1500, São Paulo 05503-900, SP, Brazil; (B.B.F.); (A.F.T.)
- Programa de Pos-Graduacao Interunidades em Biotecnologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, São Paulo 05508-900, SP, Brazil
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Senavirathna I, Jayasundara D, Warnasekara J, Matthias MA, Vinetz JM, Agampodi S. Complete genome sequences of twelve strains of Leptospira interrogans isolated from humans in Sri Lanka. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2023; 113:105462. [PMID: 37301334 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2023.105462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Leptospirosis, a major zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp. is recognized globally as an emerging zoonotic disease. Whole-genome sequencing reveals hidden messages about Leptospira's pathogenesis. We used Single Molecule Real-Time (SMRT) sequencing to obtain complete genome sequences of twelve L. interrogans isolates from febrile patients from Sri Lanka for a comparative whole genome sequencing study. The sequence data generated 12 genomes with a coverage greater than X600 with sizes ranging from 4.62 Mb to 5.16 Mb, and a G + C content ranging from 35.00% to 35.42%. The total number of coding sequences predicted by the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) genome assembly platform ranged from 3845 to 4621 for the twelve strains. Leptospira serogroup with similar-sized LPS biosynthetic loci that belonged to the same clade had a close relationship in the phylogenetic analysis. Nonetheless, variations in the genes encoding sugar biosynthesis were found in the serovar determinant region (rfb locus). Type I and Type III CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) systems were found in all of the strains. Genome BLAST Distance Phylogeny of these sequences allowed for detailed genomic strain typing. These findings may help us better understand the pathogenesis, develop a tools for early diagnosis, comparative genomic analysis and evolution of Leptospira.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indika Senavirathna
- Leptospirosis Research Laboratory, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka; Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka.
| | - Dinesha Jayasundara
- Leptospirosis Research Laboratory, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka; Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka
| | - Janith Warnasekara
- Leptospirosis Research Laboratory, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka; Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka
| | - Michael A Matthias
- Section of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Joseph M Vinetz
- Section of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Suneth Agampodi
- Section of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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11
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Rahman MSA, Khor KH, Khairani-Bejo S, Lau SF, Mazlan M, Roslan MA, Ajat MMM, Noor MAM. TaqMan real-time PCR for detection of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in canine clinical samples. J Vet Res 2023; 67:187-195. [PMID: 38143826 PMCID: PMC10740327 DOI: 10.2478/jvetres-2023-0024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Canine leptospirosis has always been a differential diagnosis in dogs presenting with clinical signs and blood profiles associated with kidney and/or liver disease. The conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) provides diagnoses, but real-time PCR-based tests provide earlier confirmation and determine the severity of infection, especially in the acute stage, allowing early detection for immediate treatment decisions. To our knowledge, real-time PCR has not been routinely adopted for clinical investigation in Malaysia. This study evaluated TaqMan real-time PCR (qPCR) assays diagnosing leptospirosis and compared their applicability to clinical samples from dogs with kidney and/or liver disease against a conventional PCR reference. Material and Methods The qPCR assays were validated using existing leptospiral isolates. Whole blood and urine samples were analysed using a conventional PCR, LipL32(1) and LipL32(2) qPCRs and a microscopic agglutination test. The sensitivity and specificity of the qPCRs were determined. Results The LipL32(1) qPCR assay had more diagnostic value than the LipL32(2) qPCR assay. Further evaluation of this assay revealed that it could detect as low as five DNA copies per reaction with high specificity for the tested leptospiral strains. No cross-amplification was observed with other organisms. Analysing the clinical samples, the LipL32(1) qPCR assay had 100.0% sensitivity and >75.0% specificity. Conclusion The LipL32(1) qPCR assay is sensitive, specific and has the potential to be applied in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Sabri Abdul Rahman
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Guelph, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Veterinary Diagnostics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Pengkalan Chepa, 16100, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Kuan Hua Khor
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Guelph, Selangor, Malaysia
- University Veterinary Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | | | - Seng Fong Lau
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Guelph, Selangor, Malaysia
- University Veterinary Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mazlina Mazlan
- Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mohd Azri Roslan
- Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Selangor, Malaysia
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Dogonyaro BB, van Heerden H, Potts AD, Fasina FO, Casanovas-Massana A, Kolo FB, Lötter C, Byaruhanga C, Ko AI, Wunder EA, Adesiyun AA. Molecular Characterization of Leptospira Species Detected in the Kidneys of Slaughtered Livestock in Abattoirs in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Pathogens 2023; 12:666. [PMID: 37242336 PMCID: PMC10223745 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12050666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Leptospira was investigated in kidneys (n = 305) from slaughtered livestock in the Gauteng Province abattoirs, South Africa, using a culture medium to isolate Leptospira, followed by the LipL32 qPCR to detect Leptospira DNA. The SecY gene region was amplified, sequenced, and analyzed for LipL32 qPCR-positive samples or Leptospira isolates. The overall frequency of isolation of Leptospira spp. was 3.9% (12/305), comprising 4.8% (9/186), 4.1% (3/74), and 0% (0/45) from cattle, pigs, and sheep, respectively (p > 0.05). However, with LipL32 qPCR, the overall frequency of Leptospira DNA was 27.5%, consisting of 26.9%, 20.3%, and 42.2% for cattle, pigs, and sheep, respectively (p = 0.03). Based on 22 SecY sequences, the phylogenetic tree identified the L. interrogans cluster with serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae and the L. borgpetersenii cluster with serovar Hardjo bovis strain Lely 607. This study is the first molecular characterization of Leptospira spp. from livestock in South Africa. The reference laboratory uses an eight-serovar microscopic agglutination test panel for leptospirosis diagnosis, of which L. borgpetersenii serovar Hardjo bovis is not part. Our data show that pathogenic L. interrogans and L. borgpetersenii are circulating in the livestock population. Diagnostic use of molecular methods will eliminate or reduce the under-reporting of leptospirosis in livestock, particularly sheep, in South Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Banenat B. Dogonyaro
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- National Veterinary Research Institute, Virology Department, Vom 930101, Nigeria
| | - Henriette van Heerden
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Andrew D. Potts
- Bacterial Serology Laboratory, ARC-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Folorunso O. Fasina
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
- ECTAD, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
| | - Arnau Casanovas-Massana
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Francis B. Kolo
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Christine Lötter
- Bacterial Serology Laboratory, ARC-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Charles Byaruhanga
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Albert I. Ko
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Gonçalo Moniz Research Center, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazilian Ministry of Health, Salvador 40081, Brazil
| | - Elsio A. Wunder
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Gonçalo Moniz Research Center, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazilian Ministry of Health, Salvador 40081, Brazil
| | - Abiodun A. Adesiyun
- Department of Production Animal Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
- Department of Paraclinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, The University of West Indies, St. Augustine 685509, Trinidad and Tobago
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Kavela S, Vyas P, CP J, Kushwaha SK, Majumdar SS, Faisal SM. Use of an Integrated Multi-Omics Approach To Identify Molecular Mechanisms and Critical Factors Involved in the Pathogenesis of Leptospira. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0313522. [PMID: 36853003 PMCID: PMC10100824 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03135-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Leptospirosis, a bacterial zoonosis caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp., is prevalent worldwide and has become a serious threat in recent years. Limited understanding of Leptospira pathogenesis and host response has hampered the development of effective vaccine and diagnostics. Although Leptospira is phagocytosed by innate immune cells, it resists its destruction, and the evading mechanism involved is unclear. In the present study, we used an integrative multi-omics approach to identify the critical molecular factors of Leptospira involved in pathogenesis during interaction with human macrophages. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were performed at 24 h postinfection of human macrophages (phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate differentiated THP-1 cells) with the pathogenic Leptospira interrogans serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae strain RGA (LEPIRGA). Our results identified a total of 1,528 transcripts and 871 proteins that were significantly expressed with an adjusted P value of <0.05. The correlations between the transcriptomic and proteomic data were above average (r = 0.844), suggesting the role of the posttranscriptional processes during host interaction. The conjoint analysis revealed the expression of several virulence-associated proteins such as adhesins, invasins, and secretory and chemotaxis proteins that might be involved in various processes of attachment and invasion and as effectors during pathogenesis in the host. Further, the interaction of bacteria with the host cell (macrophages) was a major factor in the differential expression of these proteins. Finally, eight common differentially expressed RNA-protein pairs, predicted as virulent, outer membrane/extracellular proteins were validated by quantitative PCR. This is the first report using integrated multi-omics approach to identify critical factors involved in Leptospira pathogenesis. Validation of these critical factors may lead to the identification of target antigens for the development of improved diagnostics and vaccines against leptospirosis. IMPORTANCE Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of global importance. It is caused by a Gram-negative bacterial spirochete of the genus Leptospira. The current challenge is to detect the infection at early stage for treatment or to develop potent vaccines that can induce cross-protection against various pathogenic serovars. Understanding host-pathogen interactions is important to identify the critical factors involved in pathogenesis and host defense for developing improved vaccines and diagnostics. Utilizing an integrated multi-omics approach, our study provides important insight into the interaction of Leptospira with human macrophages and identifies a few critical factors (such as virulence-associated proteins) involved in pathogenesis. These factors can be exploited for the development of novel tools for the detection, treatment, or prevention of leptospirosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sridhar Kavela
- Laboratory of Vaccine Immunology, National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Pallavi Vyas
- Laboratory of Vaccine Immunology, National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad, India
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, India
| | - Jusail CP
- Laboratory of Vaccine Immunology, National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad, India
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, India
| | - Sandeep K. Kushwaha
- Bioinformatics Lab, National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Subeer S. Majumdar
- Gene and Protein Engineering Lab, National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Syed M. Faisal
- Laboratory of Vaccine Immunology, National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad, India
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, India
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Nieves C, Vincent AT, Zarantonelli L, Picardeau M, Veyrier FJ, Buschiazzo A. Horizontal transfer of the rfb cluster in Leptospira is a genetic determinant of serovar identity. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:6/2/e202201480. [PMID: 36622346 PMCID: PMC9736851 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Leptospira bacteria comprise numerous species, several of which cause serious disease to a broad range of hosts including humans. These spirochetes exhibit large intraspecific variation, resulting in complex tabulations of serogroups/serovars that crisscross the species classification. Serovar identity, linked to biological/clinical phenotypes, depends on the structure of surface-exposed LPS. Many LPS biosynthesis-encoding genes reside within the chromosomic rfb gene cluster. However, the genetic basis of intraspecies variability is not fully understood, constraining diagnostics/typing methods to cumbersome serologic procedures. We now show that the gene content of the rfb cluster strongly correlates with Leptospira serovar designation. Whole-genome sequencing of pathogenic L. noguchii, including strains of different serogroups, reveals that the rfb cluster undergoes extensive horizontal gene transfer. The rfb clusters from several Leptospira species disclose a univocal correspondence between gene composition and serovar identity. This work paves the way to genetic typing of Leptospira serovars, and to pinpointing specific genes within the distinct rfb clusters, encoding host-specific virulence traits. Further research shall unveil the molecular mechanism of rfb transfer among Leptospira strains and species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Nieves
- Bacterial Symbionts Evolution, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université du Québec, Laval, Canada
| | - Antony T Vincent
- Bacterial Symbionts Evolution, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université du Québec, Laval, Canada.,Département des Sciences Animales, Faculté des Sciences de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Leticia Zarantonelli
- Laboratory of Molecular and Structural Microbiology, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Mathieu Picardeau
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 6047, Biology of Spirochetes Unit, Paris, France.,Integrative Microbiology of Zoonotic Agents, Pasteur International Joint Research Unit, Paris/Montevideo, France/Uruguay
| | - Frédéric J Veyrier
- Bacterial Symbionts Evolution, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université du Québec, Laval, Canada
| | - Alejandro Buschiazzo
- Laboratory of Molecular and Structural Microbiology, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay .,Integrative Microbiology of Zoonotic Agents, Pasteur International Joint Research Unit, Paris/Montevideo, France/Uruguay
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15
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Beltrán OG, Torres Higuera LD, Rodríguez Bautista JL, Patiño Burbano RE. Evaluation of the genetic stability of Leptospira reference strains maintained under two conservation methods. NOVA 2022. [DOI: 10.22490/24629448.6585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective. The genetic stability of Strains of Leptospira spp., maintained under two conservation systems, was evaluated. Methodology. The degree of conservation of the 16S rRNA and ompL1 genes of 10 reference serovars from the Leptospira spp. collection, belonging to the Sistema de Bancos de Germoplasma de la Nación para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (SBGNAA), was determined. Results. It was corroborated that the genes evaluated these have not undergone considerable changes, since similarities greater than 99.69 % were evidenced for 16S rRNA and 99.02% for ompL1, in the paired alignments. Conclusion. The genetic stability and purity of the reference strains of Leptospira spp. were verified. spp., kept in cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen at -196 °C and at room temperature for approximately eight years.
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Ashaiba A, Arun AB, Prasad KS, Tellis RC. Leptospiral sphingomyelinase Sph2 as a potential biomarker for diagnosis of leptospirosis. J Microbiol Methods 2022; 203:106621. [PMID: 36375539 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2022.106621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Leptospirosis is an underestimated infectious tropical disease caused by the spirochetes belonging to the genus Leptospira. Leptospirosis is grossly underdiagnosed due to its myriad symptoms, varying from mild febrile illness to severe haemorrhage. Laboratory tests for leptospirosis is an extremely important and potent way for disease diagnosis, as the clinical manifestations are very similar to other febrile diseases. Currently available diagnostic techniques are time-consuming, require expertise and sophisticated instruments, and cannot identify the disease at an early phase of infection. Early diagnosis of leptospirosis is the need of the hour while considering the severe complications after the infection and the rate of mortality after misdiagnosis. Secretion of Leptospira-specific sphingomyelinases in leptospirosis patient's urine within a few days of the onset of infection is quite common and is a virulence factor present only in pathogenic Leptospira species. Herein, the structural and functional importance of leptospiral sphingomyelinase Sph2 in leptospirosis pathogenesis, as well as the potential of screening urinary Sph2 for diagnosis and the scope for developing a rapid and easily affordable point-of-care test for urinary leptospiral sphingomyelinase Sph2 as an alternative to current diagnostic methods are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Ashaiba
- Department of Microbiology, Yenepoya Medical College, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Deralakatte, Mangalore 575 018, India; Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Deralakatte, Mangalore 575 018, India
| | - A B Arun
- Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Deralakatte, Mangalore 575 018, India
| | - K Sudhakara Prasad
- Nano Materials Research Laboratory, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Deralakatte, Mangalore 575 018, India; Centre for Nutrition Studies, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Deralakatte, Mangalore 575 018, India.
| | - Rouchelle C Tellis
- Department of Microbiology, Yenepoya Medical College, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Deralakatte, Mangalore 575 018, India.
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New Genetic Variants of Leptospira spp Characterized by MLST from Peruvian Isolates. J Trop Med 2022; 2022:4184326. [PMID: 36249734 PMCID: PMC9553527 DOI: 10.1155/2022/4184326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the genus Leptospira, presenting complex and dynamic epidemiology. To determine the genetic variability and its phylogenetic relationship of Leptospira spp isolates from three sources in Iquitos (Peruvian Amazon) from 2002 to 2013, seven MLST genes were analyzed to obtain the Sequence Type (ST) and these sequences were concatenated for phylogenetic analysis. The genetic relationship between STs was determined with the goeBURST algorithm and genetic diversity was determined using DnaSP. Of 51 isolates, 48 were pathogenic belonging to five different species: Leptospira interrogans Nascimento 2004, Leptospira santarosai Feil 2004, Leptospira noguchii Haake 2021, Leptospira borgpetersenii Levett 2021, and Leptospira kirschneri Levett 2021. Of 20 STs identified, 60% corresponded to new genotypes circulating only in Peru. The genotypes ST17, ST37, and ST301 were recorded in rodents and humans. A high intraspecific genetic diversity was demonstrated in L. noguchi. The goeBURST analysis revealed three clonal complexes (CCs) and 16 singletons. The STs were found to show high genetic variability and phylogenetic and goeBURST analysis determined that the genotypes found did not form specific groups according to the source of infection or origin, which confirms the zoonotic potential of these STs in an area highly endemic for leptospirosis.
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Lai WY, Wong Z, Chang CH, Samian MR, Watanabe N, Teh AH, Noordin R, Ong EBB. Identifying Leptospira interrogans putative virulence factors with a yeast protein expression screen. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 106:6567-6581. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-022-12160-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Mejía L, Prado B, Cárdenas P, Trueba G, González-Candelas F. The impact of genetic recombination on pathogenic Leptospira. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2022; 102:105313. [PMID: 35688386 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2022.105313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Leptospirosis is the most common zoonosis worldwide, and is increasingly common in poor urban communities, where there is inadequate sewage disposal and abundance of domestic and peridomestic animals. There are many risk factors associated with the disease, such as contaminated water exposure, close contact with animals, floods, recreational activities related to water, wet agriculture. The symptoms of leptospirosis are common to other infectious diseases and, if not treated, it can lead to meningitis, liver failure, kidney damage and death. Leptospirosis is caused by 38 pathogenic species of Leptospira, which are divided in almost 30 serogroups and more than 300 serovars. The serological classification (serogroups and serovars) is based on the expression of distinct lipopolysaccharide (LPS) antigens. These antigens are also associated to protective immunity; antibodies against a serovar protect from any member of the same serovar. Serologic and phylogenetic analyses are not congruent probably due to genetic recombination of LPS genes among different leptospiral species. To analyze the importance of recombination in leptospiral evolution, we performed a gene-by-gene tree topology comparison on closed genomes available in public databases at two levels: among core genomes of pathogenic species (34 recombinant among 1213 core genes), and among core genomes of L. interrogans isolates (178/798). We found that most recombinant genes code for proteins involved in translation, ribosomal structure and biogenesis, but also for cell wall, membrane and envelope biogenesis. Besides, our final results showed that half of LPS genes are recombinant (18/36). This is relevant because serovar classification and vaccine development are based on these epitopes. The frequent recombination of LPS-associated genes suggests that natural selection is promoting the survival of recombinant lineages. These results may help understanding the factors that make Leptospira a successful pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Mejía
- Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador; Institute for Integrative Systems Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain; Joint Research Unit "Infection and Public Health" FISABIO-University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Belén Prado
- Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Paúl Cárdenas
- Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Gabriel Trueba
- Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador.
| | - Fernando González-Candelas
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain; Joint Research Unit "Infection and Public Health" FISABIO-University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain; CIBER (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red) in Epidemiology and Public Health, Valencia, Spain.
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20
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Hsu SH, Yang CW. Insight into the Structure, Functions, and Dynamics of the Leptospira Outer Membrane Proteins with the Pathogenicity. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12030300. [PMID: 35323775 PMCID: PMC8951592 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12030300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a widespread zoonosis that frequently occurs in tropical and subtropical countries. Leptospira enters the host through wounds or mucous membranes and spreads to the whole body through the blood, causing systemic infection. Kidneys are the preferential site where Leptospira accumulates, especially in the renal interstitium and renal tubule epithelial cells. Clinical symptoms in humans include high fever, jaundice, renal failure, and severe multiple-organ failure (Weil’s syndrome). Surface-exposed antigens are located at the outermost layer of Leptospira and these potential virulence factors are likely involved in primary host-pathogen interactions, adhesion, and/or invasion. Using the knockout/knockdown techniques to the evaluation of pathogenicity in the virulence factor are the most direct and effective methods and many virulence factors are evaluated including lipopolysaccharides (LPS), Leptospira lipoprotein 32 (LipL32), Leptospira ompA domain protein 22 (Loa22), LipL41, LipL71, Leptospira immunoglobulin-like repeat A (LigA), LigB, and LipL21. In this review, we will discuss the structure, functions, and dynamics of these virulence factors and the roles of these virulence factors in Leptospira pathogenicity. In addition, a protein family with special Leucine-rich repeat (LRR) will also be discussed for their vital role in Leptospira pathogenicity. Finally, these surface-exposed antigens are discussed in the application of the diagnosis target for leptospirosis and compared with the serum microscope agglutination test (MAT), the gold standard for leptospirosis.
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21
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Paz LN, Hamond C, Pinna MH. Detection of Leptospira interrogans in Wild Sambar Deer (Rusa unicolor), Brazil. ECOHEALTH 2022; 19:15-21. [PMID: 35182280 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-022-01577-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Leptospirosis is an emerging zoonotic disease caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. Wild animals may present acute disease or become chronic hosts. The present study aimed to identify Leptospira spp. infection and determine circulating serogroups in free-ranging sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) in a fragment of peri-urban tropical forest in northeastern Brazil. Blood samples were collected and subjected to microscopic agglutination testing (MAT) and PCR analysis (genes lipL32 and secY). Anti-Leptospira antibodies were detected in 60% of the animals tested, with serogroups Cynopteri (33.4%), Hebdomadis (22.2%) and Grippotyphosa (22.2%) identified as most prevalent. DNA corresponding to the pathogenic species Leptospira interrogans was detected in 2/15 (13.3%) of the samples tested. Sambar deer experience a high level of exposure to Leptospira spp. in our epidemiological setting. It is important to emphasize the implementation of effective measures (i.e., maintaining habitats and reducing human contact) for the conservation of endangered species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Nogueira Paz
- Bacterial Disease Laboratory (LABAC), School of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechny, Federal University of Bahia, Adhemar de Barros - AV, 500, Ondina, Salvador, BA, 40170-11, Brazil
| | - Camila Hamond
- Bacterial Disease Laboratory (LABAC), School of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechny, Federal University of Bahia, Adhemar de Barros - AV, 500, Ondina, Salvador, BA, 40170-11, Brazil
| | - Melissa Hanzen Pinna
- Bacterial Disease Laboratory (LABAC), School of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechny, Federal University of Bahia, Adhemar de Barros - AV, 500, Ondina, Salvador, BA, 40170-11, Brazil.
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Av. Adhemar de Barros, 500, Ondina, Salvador, BA, 40170-110, Brazil.
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22
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Barazzone GC, Teixeira AF, Azevedo BOP, Damiano DK, Oliveira MP, Nascimento ALTO, Lopes APY. Revisiting the Development of Vaccines Against Pathogenic Leptospira: Innovative Approaches, Present Challenges, and Future Perspectives. Front Immunol 2022; 12:760291. [PMID: 35046936 PMCID: PMC8761801 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.760291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Human vaccination against leptospirosis has been relatively unsuccessful in clinical applications despite an expressive amount of vaccine candidates has been tested over years of research. Pathogenic Leptospira encompass a great number of serovars, most of which do not cross-react, and there has been a lack of genetic tools for many years. These obstacles have hampered the understanding of the bacteria's biology and, consequently, the identification of an effective antigen. Thus far, many approaches have been used in an attempt to find a cost-effective and broad-spectrum protective antigen(s) against the disease. In this extensive review, we discuss several strategies that have been used to develop an effective vaccine against leptospirosis, starting with Leptospira-inactivated bacterin, proteins identified in the genome sequences of pathogenic Leptospira, including reverse vaccinology, plasmid DNA, live vaccines, chimeric multi-epitope, and toll- and nod-like receptors agonists. This overview should be able to guide scientists working in the field to select potential antigens and to choose the appropriate formulation to administer the candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovana C. Barazzone
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Biotecnologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Aline F. Teixeira
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Bruna O. P. Azevedo
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Biotecnologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Deborah K. Damiano
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Biotecnologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcos P. Oliveira
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Biotecnologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana L. T. O. Nascimento
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Biotecnologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alexandre P. Y. Lopes
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Biotecnologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
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23
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TonB-dependent receptor epitopes expressed in M. bovis BCG induced significant protection in the hamster model of leptospirosis. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 106:173-184. [PMID: 34893930 PMCID: PMC8664668 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-021-11726-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Leptospirosis is an emerging infectious disease caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp. A universal vaccine against leptospirosis is likely to require highly conserved epitopes from pathogenic leptospires that are exposed on the bacterial surface and that generate a protective and sterilizing immune response. Our group recently identified several genes predicted to encode TonB-dependent receptors (TBDR) in Leptospira interrogans using a reverse vaccinology approach. Three leptospiral TBDRs were previously described and partially characterized as ferric-citrate, hemin, and cobalamin transporters. In the current study, we designed a fusion protein composed of predicted surface-exposed epitopes from three conserved leptospiral TBDRs. Based on their three-dimensional structural models and the prediction of immunogenic regions, nine putative surface-exposed fragments were selected to compose a recombinant chimeric protein. A Mycobacterium bovis BCG strain expressing this chimeric antigen encoded in the pUP500/PpAN mycobacterial expression vector was used to immunize Syrian hamsters. All animals (20/20) vaccinated with recombinant BCG survived infection with an endpoint dose of L. interrogans (p < 0.001). No animal survived in the negative control group. Immunization with our recombinant BCG elicited a humoral immune response against leptospiral TBDRs, as demonstrated by ELISA and immunoblot. No leptospiral DNA was detected by lipL32 qPCR in the kidneys of vaccinated hamsters. Similarly, no growth was observed in macerated kidney cultures from the same animals, suggesting the induction of a sterilizing immune response. Design of new vaccine antigens based on the structure of outer membrane proteins is a promising approach to overcome the impact of leptospirosis by vaccination. Key points • Predicted surface-exposed epitopes were identified in three leptospiral TBDRs. • An M. bovis BCG strain expressing a chimeric protein (rTBDRchi) was constructed. • Hamsters vaccinated with rBCG:TBDRchi were protected from lethal leptospirosis. Graphical abstract ![]()
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00253-021-11726-9.
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24
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Kurilung A, Perreten V, Prapasarakul N. Comparative Genomic Analysis and a Novel Set of Missense Mutation of the Leptospira weilii Serogroup Mini From the Urine of Asymptomatic Dogs in Thailand. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:731937. [PMID: 34733249 PMCID: PMC8558515 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.731937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Leptospira weilii belongs to the pathogenic Leptospira group and is a causal agent of human and animal leptospirosis in many world regions. L. weilii can produce varied clinical presentations from asymptomatic through acute to chronic infections and occupy several ecological niches. Nevertheless, the genomic feature and genetic basis behind the host adaptability of L. weilii remain elusive due to limited information. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the complete circular genomes of two new L. weilii serogroup Mini strains (CUDO6 and CUD13) recovered from the urine of asymptomatic dogs in Thailand and then compared with the 17 genomes available for L. weilii. Variant calling analysis (VCA) was also undertaken to gain potential insight into the missense mutations, focusing on the known pathogenesis-related genes. Whole genome sequences revealed that the CUDO6 and CUD13 strains each contained two chromosomes and one plasmid, with average genome size and G+C content of 4.37 Mbp and 40.7%, respectively. Both strains harbored almost all the confirmed pathogenesis-related genes in Leptospira. Two novel plasmid sequences, pDO6 and pD13, were identified in the strains CUDO6 and CUD13. Both plasmids contained genes responsible for stress response that may play important roles in bacterial adaptation during persistence in the kidneys. The core-single nucleotide polymorphisms phylogeny demonstrated that both strains had a close genetic relationship. Amongst the 19 L. weilii strains analyzed, the pan-genome analysis showed an open pan-genome structure, correlated with their high genetic diversity. VCA identified missense mutations in genes involved in endoflagella, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) structure, mammalian cell entry protein, and hemolytic activities, and may be associated with host-adaptation in the strains. Missense mutations of the endoflagella genes of CUDO6 and CUD13 were associated with loss of motility. These findings extend the knowledge about the pathogenic molecular mechanisms and genomic evolution of this important zoonotic pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alongkorn Kurilung
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Siriraj Metabolomics and Phenomics Center, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Vincent Perreten
- Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Nuvee Prapasarakul
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Diagnosis and Monitoring of Animal Pathogens Research Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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25
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Philip N, Jani J, Azhari NN, Sekawi Z, Neela VK. In vivo and in silico Virulence Analysis of Leptospira Species Isolated From Environments and Rodents in Leptospirosis Outbreak Areas in Malaysia. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:753328. [PMID: 34803975 PMCID: PMC8602918 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.753328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The zoonotic disease leptospirosis is caused by pathogenic species of the genus Leptospira. With the advancement of studies in leptospirosis, several new species are being reported. It has always been a query, whether Leptospira species, serovars, and strains isolated from different geographical locations contribute to the difference in the disease presentations and severity. In an epidemiological surveillance study performed in Malaysia, we isolated seven novel intermediate and saprophytic species (Leptospira semungkisensis, Leptospira fletcheri, Leptospira langatensis, Leptospira selangorensis, Leptospira jelokensis, Leptospira perdikensis, Leptospira congkakensis) from environments and three pathogenic species from rodents (Leptospira borgpetersenii strain HP364, Leptospira weilii strain SC295, Leptospira interrogans strain HP358) trapped in human leptospirosis outbreak premises. To evaluate the pathogenic potential of these isolates, we performed an in vivo and in silico virulence analysis. Environmental isolates and strain HP364 did not induce any clinical manifestations in hamsters. Strain SC295 caused inactivity and weight loss with histopathological changes in kidneys, however, all hamsters survived until the end of the experiment. Strain HP358 showed a high virulent phenotype as all infected hamsters died or were moribund within 7 days postinfection. Lungs, liver, and kidneys showed pathological changes with hemorrhage as the main presentation. In silico analysis elucidated the genome size of strain HP358 to be larger than strains HP364 and SC295 and containing virulence genes reported in Leptospira species and a high number of specific putative virulence factors. In conclusion, L. interrogans strain HP358 was highly pathogenic with fatal outcome. The constituent of Leptospira genomes may determine the level of disease severity and that needs further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noraini Philip
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Jaeyres Jani
- Borneo Medical and Health Research Center, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Nurul Natasya Azhari
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Zamberi Sekawi
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Vasantha Kumari Neela
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
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26
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Ramli SR, Bunk B, Spröer C, Geffers R, Jarek M, Bhuju S, Goris M, Mustakim S, Pessler F. Complete Genome Sequencing of Leptospira interrogans Isolates from Malaysia Reveals Massive Genome Rearrangement but High Conservation of Virulence-Associated Genes. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10091198. [PMID: 34578230 PMCID: PMC8467490 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10091198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of Leptospirae to persist in environments and animal hosts but to cause clinically highly variable disease in humans has made leptospirosis the most common zoonotic disease. Considering the paucity of data on variation in complete genomes of human pathogenic Leptospirae, we have used a combination of Single Molecule Real-Time (SMRT) and Illumina sequencing to obtain complete genome sequences of six human clinical L. interrogans isolates from Malaysia. All six contained the larger (4.28–4.56 Mb) and smaller (0.34–0.395 Mb) chromosome typical of human pathogenic Leptospirae and 0–7 plasmids. Only 24% of the plasmid sequences could be matched to databases. We identified a chromosomal core genome of 3318 coding sequences and strain-specific accessory genomes of 49–179 coding sequences. These sequences enabled detailed genomic strain typing (Genome BLAST Distance Phylogeny, DNA–DNA hybridization, and multi locus sequence typing) and phylogenetic classification (whole-genome SNP genotyping). Even though there was some shared synteny and collinearity across the six genomes, there was evidence of major genome rearrangement, likely driven by horizontal gene transfer and homologous recombination. Mobile genetic elements were identified in all strains in highly varying numbers, including in the rfb locus, which defines serogroups and contributes to immune escape and pathogenesis. On the other hand, there was high conservation of virulence-associated genes including those relating to sialic acid, alginate, and lipid A biosynthesis. These findings suggest (i) that the antigenic variation, adaption to various host environments, and broad spectrum of virulence of L. interrogans are in part due to a high degree of genomic plasticity and (ii) that human pathogenic strains maintain a core set of genes required for virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siti Roszilawati Ramli
- Research Group Biomarkers for Infectious Diseases, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany;
- Department of Biotechnology, Technical University Braunschweig, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
- Bacteriology Unit, Institute for Medical Research, National Institute of Health, Setia Alam 40170, Malaysia
| | - Boyke Bunk
- Leibniz Institute German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures (DSMZ), 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; (B.B.); (C.S.)
| | - Cathrin Spröer
- Leibniz Institute German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures (DSMZ), 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; (B.B.); (C.S.)
| | - Robert Geffers
- Genome Analytics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; (R.G.); (M.J.); (S.B.)
| | - Michael Jarek
- Genome Analytics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; (R.G.); (M.J.); (S.B.)
| | - Sabin Bhuju
- Genome Analytics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; (R.G.); (M.J.); (S.B.)
| | - Marga Goris
- Leptospirosis Reference Centre, Amsterdam Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1100 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Sahlawati Mustakim
- Department of Pathology, Hospital Tuanku Ampuan Rahimah, Klang 41672, Malaysia;
| | - Frank Pessler
- Research Group Biomarkers for Infectious Diseases, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany;
- Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine, 30625 Hannover, Germany
- Research Group Biomarkers for Infectious Diseases, TWINCORE Center for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, 30625 Hannover, Germany
- Correspondence: or ; Tel.: +49-(0)511-220027-167; Fax: +49-(0)511-220027-186
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27
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Passalia FJ, Heinemann MB, Vieira ML, Nascimento ALTO. A Novel Leptospira interrogans Protein LIC13086 Inhibits Fibrin Clot Formation and Interacts With Host Components. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:708739. [PMID: 34277477 PMCID: PMC8280789 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.708739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a neglected zoonosis, caused by pathogenic spirochetes bacteria of the genus Leptospira. The molecular mechanisms of leptospirosis infection are complex, and it is becoming clear that leptospires express several functionally redundant proteins to invade, disseminate, and escape the host’s immune response. Here, we describe a novel leptospiral protein encoded by the gene LIC13086 as an outer membrane protein. The recombinant protein LIC13086 can interact with the extracellular matrix component laminin and bind plasminogen, thus possibly participating during the adhesion process and dissemination. Also, by interacting with fibrinogen and plasma fibronectin, the protein LIC13086 probably has an inhibitory effect in the fibrin clot formation during the infection process. The newly characterized protein can also bind molecules of the complement system and the regulator C4BP and, thus, might have a role in the evasion mechanism of Leptospira. Taken together, our results suggest that the protein LIC13086 may have a multifunctional role in leptospiral pathogenesis, participating in host invasion, dissemination, and immune evasion processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe José Passalia
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Biotecnologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcos Bryan Heinemann
- Laboratório de Zoonoses Bacterianas, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mônica Larucci Vieira
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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28
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Samrot AV, Sean TC, Bhavya KS, Sahithya CS, Chan-drasekaran S, Palanisamy R, Robinson ER, Subbiah SK, Mok PL. Leptospiral Infection, Pathogenesis and Its Diagnosis-A Review. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10020145. [PMID: 33535649 PMCID: PMC7912936 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10020145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 12/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a perplexing conundrum for many. In the existing literature, the pathophysiological mechanisms pertaining to leptospirosis is still not understood in full. Considered as a neglected tropical zoonotic disease, leptospirosis is culminating as a serious problem worldwide, seemingly existing as co-infections with various other unrelated diseases, including dengue and malaria. Misdiagnosis is also common as non-specific symptoms are documented extensively in the literature. This can easily lead to death, as the severe form of leptospirosis (Weil's disease) manifests as a complex of systemic complications, especially renal failure. The virulence of Leptospira sp. is usually attributed to the outer membrane proteins, including LipL32. With an armament of virulence factors at their disposal, their ability to easily adhere, invade and replicate within cells calls for a swift refinement in research progress to establish their exact pathophysiological framework. As an effort to reconstitute the current knowledge on leptospirosis, the basis of leptospiral infection, including its risk factors, classification, morphology, transmission, pathogenesis, co-infections and clinical manifestations are highlighted in this review. The various diagnostic techniques are also outlined with emphasis on their respective pros and cons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antony V. Samrot
- School of Bioscience, Faculty of Medicine, Bioscience and Nursing, MAHSA University, Jenjarom, Selangor 42610, Malaysia;
- Correspondence: (A.V.S.); (P.L.M.)
| | - Tan Chuan Sean
- School of Bioscience, Faculty of Medicine, Bioscience and Nursing, MAHSA University, Jenjarom, Selangor 42610, Malaysia;
| | - Karanam Sai Bhavya
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bio and Chemical Engineering, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Jeppiaar Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 627 011, India; (K.S.B.); (C.S.S.); (S.C.); (R.P.)
| | - Chamarthy Sai Sahithya
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bio and Chemical Engineering, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Jeppiaar Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 627 011, India; (K.S.B.); (C.S.S.); (S.C.); (R.P.)
| | - SaiPriya Chan-drasekaran
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bio and Chemical Engineering, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Jeppiaar Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 627 011, India; (K.S.B.); (C.S.S.); (S.C.); (R.P.)
| | - Raji Palanisamy
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bio and Chemical Engineering, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Jeppiaar Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 627 011, India; (K.S.B.); (C.S.S.); (S.C.); (R.P.)
| | - Emilin Renitta Robinson
- Department of Food Processing Technology, Karunya Institute of Technology and Science, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641 114, India;
| | - Suresh Kumar Subbiah
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia;
- Department of Biotechnology, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research (BIHER), Selaiyur, Tamil Nadu 600 073, India
- Genetics and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia
| | - Pooi Ling Mok
- Department of Biotechnology, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research (BIHER), Selaiyur, Tamil Nadu 600 073, India
- Genetics and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia
- Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka P.O. Box 2014, Aljouf Province, Saudi Arabia
- Correspondence: (A.V.S.); (P.L.M.)
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29
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Paz LN, Dias CS, Carvalho VMPD, Muramoto C, Estrela-Lima A, Pinna MH. Unusual case of polyarthritis and hepatorenal syndrome associated with Leptospira interrogans infection in a dog: A case report. Res Vet Sci 2020; 134:186-190. [PMID: 33388616 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2020.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by spirochetal bacterial of the genus Leptospira affecting virtually all mammals. The infection has a broad range of effects, from mild clinical manifestation to multiple organ failure, and ultimately death. A 5-months-old male unvaccinated dog was admitted to the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital presenting dullness, dehydration, jaundiced mucous, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and hyporexia. Microscopic agglutination test (MAT) detected serological titers of 1:1.600 for serogroup Canicola. After five days of monitoring by the medical team he developed fever and swelling of carpal and tarsal joints, accompanied by functional limitation. Initial antimicrobial treatment was instituted for leptospirosis. Polyarthritis responsiveness to glucocorticoid therapy was observed through decreasing signs of inflammation of the affected joints. The diagnosis of leptospirosis was further confirmed by molecular investigation for Leptospira spp. on blood and synovial fluid samples. Amplification and sequencing of the secY partial gene characterized the infective bacterial as Leptospira interrogans. From the 7th day the respiratory condition worsened and on Day 14 the patient evolved to death, when necropsy and histological evaluation were performed. Prominent anatomopathological findings included: fibrinous polyarthritis, bronchointerstitial pneumonia, intense hepatocyte dissociation, cholestasis, and periportal multifocal hepatitis, diffuse acute tubular necrosis, and significant dystrophic mineralization in the renal parenchyma, lungs, and atrial endocardium. Here, we present a case report of systemic clinical manifestations polyarthritis associated with the presence of leptospiras in the synovial fluid. We highlight the need for richer knowledge about the different clinical manifestations of leptospirosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Nogueira Paz
- Bacterial Disease Laboratory (LABAC) - Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
| | - Carla Silva Dias
- Bacterial Disease Laboratory (LABAC) - Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Vitor Moraes Pina de Carvalho
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology - Department of Anatomy, Pathology and Veterinary Clinics, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Caterina Muramoto
- Diagnostic Imaging - Department of Anatomy, Pathology and Veterinary Clinics, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
| | - Alessandra Estrela-Lima
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology - Department of Anatomy, Pathology and Veterinary Clinics, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Melissa Hanzen Pinna
- Bacterial Disease Laboratory (LABAC) - Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
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Determining the Value of Angiopoietin-2 Biomarker in Predicting Complications of Leptospirosis. ARCHIVES OF CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2020. [DOI: 10.5812/archcid.87162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background: Leptospirosis is a common zoonosis disease that is potentially life-threatening all around the world. Angiopoietin-2 can be used as an indicator to determine the severity of the disease in critically ill patients. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the value of angiopoietin-2 biomarker in predicting leptospirosis complications. Methods: In this prospective observational study, 90 participants, including 45 patients with leptospirosis and 45 participants in the control group, are studied. Three to five days after the onset of symptoms before starting treatment with antibiotics, 5 mL venous blood was taken to measuring the angiopoietin-2 level by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: In this study, 75 men (83.3%) and 15 women (16.7%) with an age distribution of 23 to 75 years participated. A total of 74 (82.3%) patients were employed in the agriculture sector, while 59 (65.6%) lived in rural areas. There was a significant relationship between patients with severe forms of leptospirosis and levels of angiopoietin-2 (P-value < 0.01). Also, there was a significant relationship between angiopoietin-2 biomarker level and markers of disease severity such as anemia (P-value < 0.01), oliguria (P-value < 0.01), severe thrombocytopenia (P-value < 0.01), length of stay (P-value < 0.01), and CRP more than 2+ (P-value < 0.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that angiopoietin-2 biomarker can be used in screening disease severity and predicting complications of leptospirosis.
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Evaluation of three qPCR for the detection of pathogenic leptospires in domestic animals in Nicaragua. BIOMEDICA 2020; 40:673-681. [PMID: 33275346 PMCID: PMC7808766 DOI: 10.7705/biomedica.5170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Introducción. En Nicaragua es necesario estandarizar pruebas moleculares como la PCR en tiempo real (quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction, qPCR) que mejoren el diagnóstico de leptospirosis en humanos y animales. Objetivo. Evaluar tres qPCR para la detección de leptospiras patógenas en animales domésticos de Nicaragua. Materiales y métodos. Se diseñaron cebadores para la amplificación del gen LipL32 en SYBR Green (SYBR Green-A) y TaqMan, y en otros descritos previamente (SYBR Green-B). Las secuencias de 12 cepas obtenidas de la base de datos del National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) se alinearon para la búsqueda de sondas y cebadores. La sensibilidad analítica se determinó calculando el equivalente genómico detectable, se utilizaron 18 cepas de referencia para la sensibilidad diagnóstica y 28 controles negativos para la especificidad. Los métodos se aplicaron en 129 muestras de orina de animales domésticos. Resultados. En SYBR Green-A se obtuvo un límite de detección de cuatro equivalentes genómicos; en TaqMan, la sensibilidad fue del 94,4 % (IC95% 81,1-100,0). Con SYBR Green-A, se obtuvo una sensibilidad del 77,8 % (IC95% 55,8-99,8), en tanto que con SYBR Green-B fue del 61,1 % (IC95% 35,8-86,4). En las tres pruebas se logró una especificidad del 100 % (IC95% 98,2-100,0). El 26,4 % de las muestras de animales domésticos fueron positivas con SYBR Green-A y el 6,2 % con SYBR Green-B. Conclusiones. El SYBR Green-A presentó un límite de detección bajo, en tanto que las tres técnicas evaluadas mostraron alta especificidad, en tanto que la TaqMan tuvo la mayor sensibilidad.
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Gaultney RA, Vincent AT, Lorioux C, Coppée JY, Sismeiro O, Varet H, Legendre R, Cockram CA, Veyrier F, Picardeau M. 4-Methylcytosine DNA modification is critical for global epigenetic regulation and virulence in the human pathogen Leptospira interrogans. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:12102-12115. [PMID: 33301041 PMCID: PMC7708080 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In bacteria, DNA methylation can be facilitated by 'orphan' DNA methyltransferases lacking cognate restriction endonucleases, but whether and how these enzymes control key cellular processes are poorly understood. The effects of a specific modification, 4-methylcytosine (4mC), are even less clear, as this epigenetic marker is unique to bacteria and archaea, whereas the bulk of epigenetic research is currently performed on eukaryotes. Here, we characterize a 4mC methyltransferase from the understudied pathogen Leptospira spp. Inactivating this enzyme resulted in complete abrogation of CTAG motif methylation, leading to genome-wide dysregulation of gene expression. Mutants exhibited growth defects, decreased adhesion to host cells, higher susceptibility to LPS-targeting antibiotics, and, importantly, were no longer virulent in an acute infection model. Further investigation resulted in the discovery of at least one gene, that of an ECF sigma factor, whose transcription was altered in the methylase mutant and, subsequently, by mutation of the CTAG motifs in the promoter of the gene. The genes that comprise the regulon of this sigma factor were, accordingly, dysregulated in the methylase mutant and in a strain overexpressing the sigma factor. Our results highlight the importance of 4mC in Leptospira physiology, and suggest the same of other understudied species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Antony T Vincent
- Bacterial Symbionts Evolution, INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier, Laval, Quebec, Canada
| | - Céline Lorioux
- Unité Biologie des Spirochètes, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Yves Coppée
- Transcriptome and Epigenome Platform, Biomics, Center for Technological Resources and Research (C2RT), Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Odile Sismeiro
- Transcriptome and Epigenome Platform, Biomics, Center for Technological Resources and Research (C2RT), Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Hugo Varet
- Transcriptome and Epigenome Platform, Biomics, Center for Technological Resources and Research (C2RT), Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Hub, Department of Computational Biology, USR 3756 CNRS, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Rachel Legendre
- Transcriptome and Epigenome Platform, Biomics, Center for Technological Resources and Research (C2RT), Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Hub, Department of Computational Biology, USR 3756 CNRS, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | | | - Frédéric J Veyrier
- Bacterial Symbionts Evolution, INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier, Laval, Quebec, Canada
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In Silico Structural and Functional Characterization of HtrA Proteins of Leptospira spp.: Possible Implications in Pathogenesis. Trop Med Infect Dis 2020; 5:tropicalmed5040179. [PMID: 33260771 PMCID: PMC7709667 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed5040179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a zoonosis caused by the pathogenic bacteria of the genus Leptospira. The identification of conserved outer membrane proteins among pathogenic strains is a major research target in elucidating mechanisms of pathogenicity. Surface-exposed proteins are most probably the ones involved in the interaction of leptospires with the environment. Some spirochetes use outer membrane proteases as a way to penetrate host tissues. HtrA is a family of proteins found in various cell types, from prokaryotes to primates. They are a set of proteases usually composed of a serine protease and PDZ domains, and they are generally transported to the periplasm. Here, we identified four genes—annotated as HtrA, LIC11111, LIC20143, LIC20144 and LIC11037—and another one annotated as a serine protease, LIC11112. It is believed that the last forms a functional heterodimer with LIC11111, since they are organized in one operon. Our analyses showed that these proteins are highly conserved among pathogenic strains. LIC11112, LIC20143, and LIC11037 have the serine protease domain with the conserved catalytic triad His-Asp-Ser. This is the first bioinformatics analysis of HtrA proteins from Leptospira that suggests their proteolytic activity potential. Experimental studies are warranted to elucidate this possibility.
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Whole genome sequencing and de novo assembly of three virulent Indian isolates of Leptospira. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2020; 85:104579. [PMID: 33017688 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a re-emerging bacterial zoonosis caused by pathogenic Leptospira, with a worldwide distribution and becoming a major public health concern. Prophylaxis of this disease is difficult due to several factors such as non-specific variable clinical manifestation, presence of a large number of serovar, species and asymptomatic reservoir hosts, lack of proper diagnostics and vaccines. Despite its global importance and severity of the disease, knowledge about the molecular mechanism of pathogenesis and evolution of pathogenic species of Leptospira remains limited. In this study, we sequenced and analyzed three highly pathogenic species of Indian isolates of Leptospira (interrogans, santarosai, and kirschneri). Additionally, we identified some virulence-related and CRISPR-Cas genes. The virulent analysis showed 232 potential virulence factors encoding proteins in L. interrogans strain Salinem and L. santarosai strain M-4 genome. While the genome of L. kirschneri strain Wumalasena was predicted to encode 198 virulence factor proteins. The variant calling analysis revealed 1151, 19,786, and 22,996 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for L. interrogans strain Salinem, L. kirschneri strain Wumalasena and L. santarosai strain M-4, respectively, with a maximum of 5315 missense and 12,221 synonymous mutations for L. santarosai strain M-4. The structural analyses of genomes indicated potential evidence of inversions and structural rearrangment in all three genomes. The availability of these genome sequences and in silico analysis of Leptospira will provide a basis for a deeper understanding of their molecular diversity and pathogenesis mechanism, and further pave a way towards proper management of the disease.
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Philip N, Affendy NB, Masri SN, Yuhana MY, Than LTL, Sekawi Z, Neela VK. Combined PCR and MAT improves the early diagnosis of the biphasic illness leptospirosis. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0239069. [PMID: 32915919 PMCID: PMC7485768 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The diagnosis of leptospirosis remains a challenge due to its non-specific symptoms and the biphasic nature of the illness. A comprehensive diagnosis that includes both molecular (polymerase chain reaction (PCR)) and serology is vital for early detection of leptospirosis and to avoid misdiagnosis. However, not all samples could be subjected to both tests (serology and molecular) due to budget limitation, infrastructure, and technical expertise at least in resource-limited countries. We evaluated the usefulness of testing the clinically suspected leptospirosis cases with both techniques on all samples collected from the patients on the day of admission. Among the 165 patient’s blood/serum samples tested (from three hospitals in Central Malaysia), 43 (26%) showed positivity by microscopic agglutination test (MAT), 63 (38%) by PCR, while 14 (8%) were positive by both MAT and PCR. For PCR, we tested two molecular targets (lipL32 by qPCR and 16S rDNA or rrs by nested PCR) and detected lipL32 in 47 (29%) and rrs gene in 63 (38%) patients. The use of more than one target gene for PCR increased the detection rates. Hence, a highly sensitive multiplex PCR targeting more than one diagnostic marker is recommended for the early detection of Leptospira in suspected patients. When the frequencies for positivity detected either by MAT or PCR combined, leptospirosis was diagnosed in a total of 92 (56%) patients, a higher frequency compared to when samples were only tested by a single method (MAT or PCR). The results from this study suggest the inclusion of both serology and molecular methods for every first sample irrespective of the days post-onset of symptoms (DPO) collected from patients for early diagnosis of leptospirosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noraini Philip
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Norliza Bahtiar Affendy
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Siti Norbaya Masri
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Muhamad Yazli Yuhana
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Internal Medicine Department, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Leslie Thian Lung Than
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Zamberi Sekawi
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Vasantha Kumari Neela
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- * E-mail:
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Bonhomme D, Santecchia I, Vernel-Pauillac F, Caroff M, Germon P, Murray G, Adler B, Boneca IG, Werts C. Leptospiral LPS escapes mouse TLR4 internalization and TRIF‑associated antimicrobial responses through O antigen and associated lipoproteins. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008639. [PMID: 32790743 PMCID: PMC7447051 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a worldwide re-emerging zoonosis caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp. All vertebrate species can be infected; humans are sensitive hosts whereas other species, such as rodents, may become long-term renal carrier reservoirs. Upon infection, innate immune responses are initiated by recognition of Microbial Associated Molecular Patterns (MAMPs) by Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs). Among MAMPs, the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is recognized by the Toll-Like-Receptor 4 (TLR4) and activates both the MyD88-dependent pathway at the plasma membrane and the TRIF-dependent pathway after TLR4 internalization. We previously showed that leptospiral LPS is not recognized by the human-TLR4, whereas it signals through mouse-TLR4 (mTLR4), which mediates mouse resistance to acute leptospirosis. However, although resistant, mice are known to be chronically infected by leptospires. Interestingly, the leptospiral LPS has low endotoxicity in mouse cells and is an agonist of TLR2, the sensor for bacterial lipoproteins. Here, we investigated the signaling properties of the leptospiral LPS in mouse macrophages. Using confocal microscopy and flow cytometry, we showed that the LPS of L. interrogans did not induce internalization of mTLR4, unlike the LPS of Escherichia coli. Consequently, the LPS failed to induce the production of the TRIF-dependent nitric oxide and RANTES, both important antimicrobial responses. Using shorter LPS and LPS devoid of TLR2 activity, we further found this mTLR4-TRIF escape to be dependent on both the co-purifying lipoproteins and the full-length O antigen. Furthermore, our data suggest that the O antigen could alter the binding of the leptospiral LPS to the co-receptor CD14 that is essential for TLR4-TRIF activation. Overall, we describe here a novel leptospiral immune escape mechanism from mouse macrophages and hypothesize that the LPS altered signaling could contribute to the stealthiness and chronicity of the leptospires in mice. Leptospira interrogans is a bacterial pathogen, responsible for leptospirosis, a worldwide neglected reemerging disease. L. interrogans may cause an acute severe disease in humans, whereas rodents and other animals asymptomatically carry the leptospires in their kidneys. They can therefore excrete live bacteria in urine and contaminate the environment. Leptospires are stealth pathogens known to escape the innate immune defenses of their hosts. They are covered in lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a bacterial motif recognized in mammals through the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), which triggers two different signaling pathways. We showed previously that pathogenic leptospires fully escape TLR4 recognition in humans. Here we focused on the LPS signaling in mice that are, although resistant to acute leptospirosis, chronically infected. We showed in mouse cells that the leptospiral LPS triggers only one arm of the TLR4 pathway and escapes the other, hence avoiding production of antimicrobial compounds. Removing the lipoproteins that always co-purify with the leptospiral LPS, or using shorter LPS, restores the stimulation of both pathways. This suggests a novel escape mechanism linked to the LPS and involving lipoproteins that could be instrumental for leptospires to escape the mouse defense and to allow for their chronic renal colonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delphine Bonhomme
- Institut Pasteur, Unité Biologie et Génétique de la Paroi Bactérienne, Paris, France; CNRS, UMR 2001 « Microbiologie intégrative et Moléculaire », Paris, France; INSERM, Equipe Avenir, Paris, France
- Université de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Ignacio Santecchia
- Institut Pasteur, Unité Biologie et Génétique de la Paroi Bactérienne, Paris, France; CNRS, UMR 2001 « Microbiologie intégrative et Moléculaire », Paris, France; INSERM, Equipe Avenir, Paris, France
- Université de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Frédérique Vernel-Pauillac
- Institut Pasteur, Unité Biologie et Génétique de la Paroi Bactérienne, Paris, France; CNRS, UMR 2001 « Microbiologie intégrative et Moléculaire », Paris, France; INSERM, Equipe Avenir, Paris, France
| | - Martine Caroff
- LPS-BioSciences, Université de Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Pierre Germon
- INRAE, UMR ISP, Université François Rabelais de Tours, Nouzilly, France
| | - Gerald Murray
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Ben Adler
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Ivo G. Boneca
- Institut Pasteur, Unité Biologie et Génétique de la Paroi Bactérienne, Paris, France; CNRS, UMR 2001 « Microbiologie intégrative et Moléculaire », Paris, France; INSERM, Equipe Avenir, Paris, France
| | - Catherine Werts
- Institut Pasteur, Unité Biologie et Génétique de la Paroi Bactérienne, Paris, France; CNRS, UMR 2001 « Microbiologie intégrative et Moléculaire », Paris, France; INSERM, Equipe Avenir, Paris, France
- * E-mail:
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Prasad M, Bothammal P, Akino Mercy CS, Sumaiya K, Saranya P, Muralitharan G, Natarajaseenivasan K. Leptospiral protein LIC11334 display an immunogenic peptide KNSMP01. Microb Pathog 2020; 149:104407. [PMID: 32758519 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2020.104407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Leptospirosis is considered as a neglected tropical disease which is caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp. The precise mechanisms of leptospirosis pathogenesis are unclear and hence, the progress in development of treatment modalities has been dismal. The present study aimed to identify novel virulent factors of leptospires to understand the disease pathogenesis and to develop treatment modalities. Leptospira interrogans contains two chromosomes and encodes for ~3703 genes, but the functions of several open reading frames have not yet been explored. Among them, novel virulent associated leptospiral proteins (LIC11334, LIC11542, LIC11436, LIC11120 and LIC12539) were identified using VirulentPredict and the antigenicity of these targets was explored by VaxiJen server. Domain architecture of the pathogen specific proteins revealed that LIC11334 had potential to evoke significant immune response against leptospiral infection and LIC11436 contains four folds of immunoglobulin-like domain and plays a vital role in pathogenesis. Therefore, B-cell epitopes were predicted and the epitope of high virulence (and VaxiJen score from LIC11334) was chemically synthesized as peptide (KNSMP01) and labeled with Biotin (Biotin-SGSGEVENPDPKVAQEC). Binding affinity of KNSMP01 with MHC molecules was predicted and the molecule was discovered to have potential to elicit both humoral and cell mediated immune responses and found to interact with host components via hydrophobic interaction, hydrogen bonding and salt bridges. Rabbit antisera was raised against KNSMP01 and found to elicit antigenicity using Western, ELISA and dot blot assays. In silico and in vitro experiments show KNSMP01 to be a promising immunogen and may be a better vaccine candidate for leptospirosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muthu Prasad
- Medical Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Center for Excellence in Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620 024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Palanisamy Bothammal
- Medical Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Center for Excellence in Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620 024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Charles Solomon Akino Mercy
- Medical Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Center for Excellence in Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620 024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Krishnamoorthi Sumaiya
- Medical Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Center for Excellence in Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620 024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Perumal Saranya
- Medical Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Center for Excellence in Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620 024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Gangatharan Muralitharan
- Medical Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Center for Excellence in Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620 024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Kalimuthusamy Natarajaseenivasan
- Medical Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Center for Excellence in Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620 024, Tamil Nadu, India.
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Kochi LT, Fernandes LGV, Souza GO, Vasconcellos SA, Heinemann MB, Romero EC, Kirchgatter K, Nascimento ALTO. The interaction of two novel putative proteins of Leptospira interrogans with E-cadherin, plasminogen and complement components with potential role in bacterial infection. Virulence 2020; 10:734-753. [PMID: 31422744 PMCID: PMC6735628 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2019.1650613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonosis caused by pathogenic species of Leptospira. Leptospires are able to adhere to exposed extracellular matrix in injured tissues and, once in the bloodstream, can survive the attack of the immune system and spread to colonize target organs. In this work, we report that two novel putative proteins, coded by the genes LIC11711 and LIC12587 of L. interrogans serovar Copenhageni are conserved among pathogenic strains, and probably exposed in the bacterial surface. Soluble recombinant proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and characterized. Both recombinant proteins bound to laminin and E-cadherin, suggesting an initial adhesion function in host epithelial cells. The recombinant protein LIC11711 (rLIC11711) was able to capture plasminogen (PLG) from normal human serum and convert to enzymatically active plasmin (PLA), in the presence of PLG activator. rLIC12587 (recombinant protein LIC12587) displayed a dose dependent and saturable interaction with components C7, C8, and C9 of the complement system, reducing the bactericidal effect of the complement. Binding to C9 may have consequences such as C9 polymerization inhibition, interfering with the membrane attack complex formation. Blocking LIC11711 and LIC12587 on bacterial cells by the respective antiserum reduced leptospiral cell viability when exposed to normal human serum (NHS). Both recombinant proteins could be recognized by serum samples of confirmed leptospirosis, but not of unrelated diseases, suggesting that the native proteins are immunogenic and expressed during leptospirosis. Taken together, our data suggest that these proteins may have a role in leptospiral pathogenesis, participating in immune evasion strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandro T Kochi
- a Laboratório Especial de Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan , São Paulo , Brazil.,b Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Biotecnologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas , São Paulo , Brazil
| | - Luis G V Fernandes
- a Laboratório Especial de Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan , São Paulo , Brazil
| | - Gisele O Souza
- c Laboratório de Zoonoses Bacterianas, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia , São Paulo , Brazil
| | - Silvio A Vasconcellos
- c Laboratório de Zoonoses Bacterianas, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia , São Paulo , Brazil
| | - Marcos B Heinemann
- c Laboratório de Zoonoses Bacterianas, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia , São Paulo , Brazil
| | - Eliete C Romero
- d Centro de Bacteriologia, Instituto Adolfo Lutz , Sao Paulo , Brazil
| | - Karin Kirchgatter
- e Núcleo de Estudos em Malária, Superintendência de Controle de Endemias -SUCEN/IMT-SP, USP , Sao Paulo , Brazil
| | - Ana L T O Nascimento
- a Laboratório Especial de Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan , São Paulo , Brazil
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Pathogenic Leptospira and their animal reservoirs: testing host specificity through experimental infection. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7239. [PMID: 32350316 PMCID: PMC7190861 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64172-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Leptospirosis is caused by pathogenic Leptospira transmitted through contact with contaminated environments. Most mammalian species are infectable by Leptospira but only few act as efficient reservoir being capable of establishing long term kidney colonization and shedding Leptospira in urine. In Madagascar, a large diversity of pathogenic Leptospira display a tight specificity towards their endemic volant or terrestrial mammalian hosts. The basis of this specificity is unknown: it may indicate some genetically determined compatibility between host cells and bacteria or only reflect ecological constraints preventing contacts between specific hosts. In this study, Rattus norvegicus was experimentally infected with either Leptospira interrogans, Leptospira borgpetersenii or Leptospira mayottensis isolated from rats, bats or tenrecs, respectively. Leptospira borgpetersenii and L. mayottensis do not support renal colonization as featured by no shedding of live bacteria in urine and low level and sporadic detection of Leptospira DNA in kidneys. In contrast 2 out of the 7 R. norvegicus challenged with L. interrogans developed renal colonization and intense Leptospira shedding in urine throughout the 3 months of experimental infection. These data suggest that host-Leptospira specificity in this biodiversity hotspot is driven at least in part by genetic determinants likely resulting from long-term co-diversification processes.
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Complete Genome Sequence of a Virulent Leptospira interrogans Serovar Copenhageni Strain, Assembled with a Combination of Nanopore and Illumina Reads. Microbiol Resour Announc 2020; 9:9/17/e00200-20. [PMID: 32327507 PMCID: PMC7180280 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00200-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, we present the complete genome sequence of a highly virulent Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni strain isolated from a dog with severe leptospirosis. In this work, a gapless genome draft was assembled with a combination of Nanopore and Illumina data of relatively low coverage. Here, we present the complete genome sequence of a highly virulent Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni strain isolated from a dog with severe leptospirosis. In this work, a gapless genome draft was assembled with a combination of Nanopore and Illumina data of relatively low coverage.
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Casanovas-Massana A, Hamond C, Santos LA, de Oliveira D, Hacker KP, Balassiano I, Costa F, Medeiros MA, Reis MG, Ko AI, Wunder EA. Leptospira yasudae sp. nov. and Leptospira stimsonii sp. nov., two new species of the pathogenic group isolated from environmental sources. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2020; 70:1450-1456. [PMID: 31184568 PMCID: PMC10197099 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.003480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Four spirochetes (F1T, B21, YaleT and AMB6-RJ) were isolated from environmental sources: F1T and B21 from soils of an urban slum community in Salvador (Brazil), YaleT from river water in New Haven, Connecticut (USA) and AMB6-RJ from a pond in a horse farm in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Isolates were helix-shaped, aerobic, highly motile and non-virulent in a hamster model of infection. Draft genomes of the strains were obtained and analysed to determine the relatedness to other species of the genus Leptospira. The analysis of 498 core genes showed that strains F1T/B21 and YaleT/AMB6-RJ formed two distinct phylogenetic clades within the 'Pathogens' group (group I). The average nucleotide identity (ANI) values of strains F1T/B21 and YaleT/AMB6-RJ to other previously described Leptospira species were below <84 % and <82 %, respectively, which confirmed that these isolates should be classified as representatives of two novel species. Therefore, we propose Leptospirayasudae sp. nov. and Leptospirastimsonii sp. nov. as new species in the genus Leptospira. The type strains are F1T (=ATCC-TSD-163=KIT0259=CLEP00287) and YaleT (=ATCC-TDS-162=KIT0258=CLEP00288), respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnau Casanovas-Massana
- Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Camila Hamond
- Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Present address: Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria, Estación Experimental La Estanzuela, Colonia, Uruguay and Unidad Mixta Pasteur + INIA (UMPI), Institut Pasteur de Montevideo/Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Luciane A. Santos
- Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazilian Ministry of Health, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Daiana de Oliveira
- Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazilian Ministry of Health, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Kathryn P. Hacker
- Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazilian Ministry of Health, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Ilana Balassiano
- Centro de Referência Nacional para Leptospirose/Coleção de Leptospira, Laboratório de Zoonoses Bacterianas, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Federico Costa
- Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazilian Ministry of Health, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
- Instituto da Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Marco A. Medeiros
- Bio-Manguinhos, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazilian Ministry of Health, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Mitermayer G. Reis
- Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazilian Ministry of Health, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Albert I. Ko
- Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazilian Ministry of Health, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Elsio A. Wunder
- Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazilian Ministry of Health, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
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Abstract
Spirochetes form a separate phylum of bacteria with two membranes but otherwise unusual morphologies and envelope structures. Distinctive common features of Borrelia, Leptospira, and Treponema include the sequestration of flagella to the periplasm and thin peptidoglycan cell walls that are more closely associated with the inner membrane. Outer membrane compositions differ significantly between the genera. Leptospira most closely track Gram-negative bacteria due to the incorporation of lipopolysaccharides. Treponema and Borrelia outer membranes lack lipopolysaccharide, with treponemes expressing only a few outer membrane proteins and Borrelia displaying a dizzying diversity of abundant surface lipoproteins instead. Phylogenetic and experimental evidence indicates that spirochetes have adapted various modules of bacterial export and secretion pathways to build and maintain their envelopes. Export and insertion pathways in the inner membrane appear conserved, while spirochetal experimentation with various envelope architectures over time has led to variations in secretion pathways in the periplasm and outer membrane. Classical type I to III secretion systems have been identified, with demonstrated roles in drug efflux and export of flagellar proteins only. Unique activities of periplasmic proteases, including a C-terminal protease, are involved in maturation of some periplasmic proteins. Proper lipoprotein sorting within the periplasm appears to be dependent on functional Lol pathways that lack the outer membrane lipoprotein insertase LolB. The abundance of surface lipoproteins in Borrelia and detailed protein sorting studies suggest a lipoprotein secretion pathway that either extends Lol through the outer membrane or bypasses it altogether. Proteins can be released from cells in outer membrane vesicles or, rarely, as soluble proteins.
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43
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Sun AH, Liu XX, Yan J. Leptospirosis is an invasive infectious and systemic inflammatory disease. Biomed J 2020; 43:24-31. [PMID: 32200953 PMCID: PMC7090314 DOI: 10.1016/j.bj.2019.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 12/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic Leptospira species are the causative agents of leptospirosis, a world-spreading zoonotic infectious disease. The pathogens possess a powerful invasiveness by invading human body through mucosal/skin barriers, rapid entry into bloodstream to cause septicemia, diffusion from bloodstream into internal organs and tissues to cause aggravation of disease, and discharge from urine through renal tubules to form natural infectious sources. Leptospirosis patients present severe inflammatory symptoms such as high fever, myalgia and lymphadenectasis. Hemorrhage and jaundice are the pathological features of this disease. Previous studies revealed that some outer membrane proteins of Leptospira interrogans, the most important pathogenic Leptospira species, acted as adherence factors to binding to receptor molecules (fibronectin, laminin and collagens) in extracellular matrix of host cells. Collagenase, metallopeptidases and endoflagellum contributed to the invasiveness of L. interrogans. Except for lipopolysaccharide, multiple hemolysins of L. interrogans displayed a powerful ability to induce pro-inflammatory cytokines and hepatocyte apoptosis. vWA and platelet activating factor acetylhydrolase-like proteins from L. interrogans could induce severe pulmonary hemorrhage in mice. L. interrogans utilized cellular endocytic recycling and vesicular transport systems for intracellular migration and transcellular transport. All the research achievements are helpful for further understanding the virulence of pathogenic Leptospira species and pathogenesis of leptospirosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ai-Hua Sun
- Faculty of Basic Medicine, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Xiao-Xiang Liu
- Faculty of Basic Medicine, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Jie Yan
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
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Passalia FJ, Heinemann MB, de Andrade SA, Nascimento ALTO, Vieira ML. Leptospira interrogans Bat proteins impair host hemostasis by fibrinogen cleavage and platelet aggregation inhibition. Med Microbiol Immunol 2020; 209:201-213. [PMID: 32078713 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-020-00664-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a worldwide spread zoonosis, caused by pathogenic Leptospira. Evidences suggest that compromised hemostasis might be involved in the leptospirosis pathophysiology. In the genome of L. interrogans serovar Copenhageni, we found two genes coding for proteins which comprise von Willebrand factor (VWF) A domains (BatA and BatB). As VWF A domains exhibit multiple binding sites which contributes to human VWF hemostatic functions, we hypothesized that the L. interrogans BatA and BatB proteins could be involved in the hemostatic impairment during leptospirosis. We have cloned, expressed in Escherichia coli, and purified recombinant BatA and BatB. The influence of recombinant BatA and BatB on different in vitro hemostatic assays evaluating the enzymatic activity, platelet aggregation and fibrinogen integrity was investigated. We describe BatB as a new serine protease which is able to cleave thrombin chromogenic substrate, fibrin, fibrinogen, gelatin and casein; while BatA is active only towards fibrinogen. BatA and BatB interfere with the platelet aggregation induced by VWF/ristocetin and thrombin. Our results suggest an important role of the L. interrogans serovar Copenhageni Bat proteins in the hemostasis dysfunction observed during leptospirosis and contribute to the understanding of the leptospirosis pathophysiological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe José Passalia
- Lab. Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Biotecnologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcos Bryan Heinemann
- Lab. de Zoonoses Bacterianas, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Ana Lucia T O Nascimento
- Lab. Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Biotecnologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mônica Larucci Vieira
- Lab. Desenvolvimento de Vacinas, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
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45
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Zhang R, Zhou W, Ye Q, Song S, Wang Y, Xu Y, Zeng L. Comparative genomic analysis of Chinese human leptospirosis vaccine strain and circulating isolate. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2020; 16:1345-1353. [PMID: 32045318 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2020.1720439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
LEPTOSPIRA INTERROGANS serogroup Canicola is one of the most important pathogens causing leptospirosis and is used as a vaccine strain of the current Chinese human leptospirosis vaccine. To characterize leptospiral pathogens, L. interrogans serogroup Canicola vaccine strain 611 and circulating isolate LJ178 from different hosts at different periods were sequenced using a combined strategy of Illumina X10 and PacBio technologies, and a comprehensive comparative analysis with other published Leptospira strains was conducted in this study. High levels of genomic similarities were observed between vaccine strain 611 and circulating isolate LJ178; both had two circular chromosomes and two circular extrachromosomal replicons. Compared with the strain 611 genome, 132 single nucleotide polymorphisms and 92 indels were found in strain LJ178. The larger lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis locus of serogroup Canicola was identified in both genomes. The phylogenetic analysis based on whole-genome sequences revealed that serogroup Canicola was not restricted to a specific host or geographic location, suggesting adaptive evolution associated with the ecologic diversity. In summary, our findings provide insights into a better molecular understanding of the component strains of human leptospirosis vaccine in China. Furthermore, these data detail the genetic composition and evolutionary relatedness of Leptospira strains that pose a health risk to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruipeng Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University , Nanchang, People's Republic of China.,Scholl of Medicine, Nanchang University , Nanchang, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenkai Zhou
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University , Nanchang, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiang Ye
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Health for Research on Quality and Standardization of Biotech Products, National Institutes of Food and Drug Control , Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Sichao Song
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai , Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuezhu Wang
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai , Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Yinghua Xu
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Health for Research on Quality and Standardization of Biotech Products, National Institutes of Food and Drug Control , Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Lingbing Zeng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University , Nanchang, People's Republic of China
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46
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Evangelista KV, Lourdault K. Evaluation of Vaccine Candidates against Leptospirosis using Golden Syrian Hamsters. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2134:257-270. [PMID: 32632876 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0459-5_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a major public health problem, especially in developing countries. Current vaccine studies focus on identifying Leptospira proteins that elicit protective immunity. Here, we describe a method to assess recombinant proteins for their ability to protect hamsters from fatal infection against Leptospira and to provide sterilizing immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen V Evangelista
- Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Kristel Lourdault
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Dhayabaran V, Chidambaram D, Krishnaswamy PR. Identification of compounds for improved growth of Leptospira in culture and isolation. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2020; 96:114923. [DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2019.114923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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48
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Gupta R, Verma R, Pradhan D, Jain AK, Umamaheswari A, Rai CS. An in silico approach towards identification of novel drug targets in pathogenic species of Leptospira. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0221446. [PMID: 31430340 PMCID: PMC6701809 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Leptospirosis is one of the leading zoonotic infections worldwide. As with other infectious diseases, report of antimicrobial resistance to existing therapeutic arsenal poses challenges in the management of disease. Hence, identification of novel drug targets for the pathogen deems essential. Present study used combined approach of comparative and subtractive genomics to identify putative drug targets. Crucial genes of 16 pathogenic Leptospira strains were filtered and subjected to homology search via target identification tool "TiD". Thereafter, comparative analysis was performed for non-homologous, essential genes to accomplish the broad-spectrum drug target. Consequently, 37 essential genes were found to be conserved in at least 10 strains of Leptospira. Further, prioritization of resultant set of genes revealed 18 were hubs in protein-protein interaction network. Sixteen putative targets among the hub genes were conserved in all strains of Leptospira. Out of sixteen, fourteen were enzymes while 8 were novel and 4 were involved in virulence mechanism. In addition, genome scale metabolic network reconstruction and choke point analysis revealed cobA (porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism) and thiL (thiamine metabolism) as chokepoints in their respective metabolic pathways. The proposed hub genes could act as putative broad-spectrum drug targets for Leptospira species, however, these putative targets should be validated to ensure them as real one prior to utilizing them for target based lead discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reena Gupta
- University School of Information, Communication & Technology, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India
| | - Rashi Verma
- Biomedical Informatics Centre, National Institute of Pathology-Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Dibyabhaba Pradhan
- Computational Genomics Centre, Indian Council of Medical Research, Campus—All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Arun Kumar Jain
- Biomedical Informatics Centre, National Institute of Pathology-Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Amineni Umamaheswari
- Department of Bioinformatics, Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Chandra Shekhar Rai
- University School of Information, Communication & Technology, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India
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Novel MLST sequence types of pathogenic Leptospira spp.: Opening the black box of animal leptospirosis in Brazil. Acta Trop 2019; 196:135-141. [PMID: 31121146 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.05.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Revised: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
In the current context of the emergence of certain infectious diseases and discussion of the One Health concept for many of these, the study of leptospirosis - both in domestic and wild hosts - cannot be neglected. The study of animal leptospirosis has evolved in recent years. It has been demonstrated that the human-animal-environment interface is more important than previously thought. In the present study, 35 strains of five pathogenic Leptospira species were isolated from different animal species in Brazil and characterized by rrs, secY, and Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) sequencing. Phylogenetic inferences were performed and the molecular diversity of the populations (intra- and inter-population levels) was evaluated. Among the five studied species, 18 different sequence types (STs) were found (22 new alleles and 11 new STs). eBURST analysis revealed two clonal complexes (CCs) and seven singletons. A high genetic diversity was demonstrated (H = 0.954 ± 0.017), mainly for the L. santarosai population (H = 0.942 ± 0.034, n = 20). The same strain was identified in different host species, as well as strains with zoonotic potential circulating in the country. Although the difficulty of culturing Leptospira strains is well known, the high variability of the strains found in Brazil highlights the importance of animals in maintaining the biological cycle of the bacterium in nature. Moreover, the selection of autochthonous strains for the development of vaccines becomes a challenge.
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50
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Kurilung A, Keeratipusana C, Suriyaphol P, Hampson DJ, Prapasarakul N. Genomic analysis of Leptospira interrogans serovar Paidjan and Dadas isolates from carrier dogs and comparative genomic analysis to detect genes under positive selection. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:168. [PMID: 30832578 PMCID: PMC6399948 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5562-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Leptospirosis is an emerging infectious disease worldwide that can cause high morbidity and mortality rates in humans and animals. The causative spirochetes have reservoirs in mammalian hosts, but there has been limited analysis of the genomes of isolates recovered from animals. The aims of this study were to characterize genomic features of two Leptospira interrogans strains recently isolated from asymptomatic dogs in Thailand (strains CUDO5 and CDUO8), and to perform comparative genome analyses with other strains. Molecular adaptive evolution in L. interrogans as signaled by positive selection also was analyzed. RESULTS Whole genome sequence analysis revealed that strains CUDO5 and CUDO8 had genome sizes of approximately 4.9 Mbp with 35.1% GC contents. Using monoclonal antibodies, strains CUDO5 and CUDO8 were identified as serovars Paidjan and Dadas, respectively. These strains harbored genes known to be associated with acute and chronic infections. Using Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms phylogeny (SNPs) with 97 L. interrogans strains, CUDO5 and CUDO8 had closest genetic relatedness with each other. Nevertheless, the serovar determinant region (rfb locus) showed variations in the genes encoding sugar biosynthesis. Amongst 13 representative L. interrogans strains examined for molecular adaptive evolution through positive selection under the site-model of Phylogenetic Analysis of Maximum Likelihood, genes responsible for iron acquisition (tlyA and hbpA), motility (fliN2, flgK, and flhB) and thermal adaptation (lpxD1) were under increased selective pressure. CONCLUSIONS L. interrogans serovar Paidjan strain CUDO5 and serovar Dadas strain CUDO8 had close genetic relatedness as analyzed by SNPs phylogeny. They contained genes with established roles in acute and chronic leptospirosis. The rfb locus in both serovars showed gene variation associated with sugar biosynthesis. Positive selection analysis indicated that genes encoding factors involved in motility, temperature adaptation, and iron acquisition were under strong positive selection in L. interrogans. These may be associated with adaptation in the early stages of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alongkorn Kurilung
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Chantisa Keeratipusana
- Bioinformatics and Data Management for Research Unit, Office for Research and Development, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Prapat Suriyaphol
- Bioinformatics and Data Management for Research Unit, Office for Research and Development, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - David J. Hampson
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Nuvee Prapasarakul
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Diagnosis and Monitoring of Animal Pathogens Research Unit, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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