1
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Koyun OY, Balta I, Corcionivoschi N, Callaway TR. Disease Occurrence in- and the Transferal of Zoonotic Agents by North American Feedlot Cattle. Foods 2023; 12:904. [PMID: 36832978 PMCID: PMC9956193 DOI: 10.3390/foods12040904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
North America is a large producer of beef and contains approximately 12% of the world's cattle inventory. Feedlots are an integral part of modern cattle production in North America, producing a high-quality, wholesome protein food for humans. Cattle, during their final stage, are fed readily digestible high-energy density rations in feedlots. Cattle in feedlots are susceptible to certain zoonotic diseases that impact cattle health, growth performance, and carcass characteristics, as well as human health. Diseases are often transferred amongst pen-mates, but they can also originate from the environment and be spread by vectors or fomites. Pathogen carriage in the gastrointestinal tract of cattle often leads to direct or indirect contamination of foods and the feedlot environment. This leads to the recirculation of these pathogens that have fecal-oral transmission within a feedlot cattle population for an extended time. Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, and Campylobacter are commonly associated with animal-derived foods and can be transferred to humans through several routes such as contact with infected cattle and the consumption of contaminated meat. Brucellosis, anthrax, and leptospirosis, significant but neglected zoonotic diseases with debilitating impacts on human and animal health, are also discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Osman Y. Koyun
- Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Igori Balta
- Bacteriology Branch, Veterinary Sciences Division, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast BT4 3SD, UK
- Faculty of Bioengineering of Animal Resources, University of Life Sciences King Mihai I from Timisoara, 300645 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Nicolae Corcionivoschi
- Bacteriology Branch, Veterinary Sciences Division, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast BT4 3SD, UK
- Faculty of Bioengineering of Animal Resources, University of Life Sciences King Mihai I from Timisoara, 300645 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Todd R. Callaway
- Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
LeCount K, Fox K, Anderson T, Bayles DO, Stuber T, Hicks J, Schlater LK, Nally JE. Isolation of Leptospira kirschneri serovar Grippotyphosa from a red panda ( Ailurus fulgens) after antimicrobial therapy: Case report. Front Vet Sci 2023; 9:1064147. [PMID: 36819120 PMCID: PMC9932277 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1064147] [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: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
A 1-year-old female red panda started showing symptoms of illness, including lethargy, anorexia, abdominal discomfort, and vomiting, shortly after transfer to a new zoo. Serum was tested for leptospirosis using the microscopic agglutination test, and a titer of 1:25,600 to serogroup Grippotyphosa was detected. Antimicrobial treatment with doxycycline was initiated. After completion of treatment and resolution of clinical symptoms, a urine sample was collected to ensure clearance of leptospires and cessation of urinary shedding prior to co-housing with other red pandas. A repeat serum sample taken 13 days later had a lower titer of 1:6,400 to serogroup Grippotyphosa. A sample of the animal's urine was cultured in HAN media and was culture positive for Leptospira. The recovered isolate was completely characterized by whole genome sequencing and serotyping with reference antisera, and the isolate was classified as Leptospira kirschneri serogroup Grippotyphosa serovar Grippotyphosa strain RedPanda1.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karen LeCount
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States,National Center for Animal Health (NCAH) Leptospira Working Group, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Kami Fox
- Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, Fort Wayne, IN, United States
| | - Tammy Anderson
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States,National Center for Animal Health (NCAH) Leptospira Working Group, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Darrell O. Bayles
- Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Tod Stuber
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Jessica Hicks
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Linda K. Schlater
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States,National Center for Animal Health (NCAH) Leptospira Working Group, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Jarlath E. Nally
- National Center for Animal Health (NCAH) Leptospira Working Group, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States,Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States,*Correspondence: Jarlath E. Nally ✉
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Some like it hot, some like it cold; proteome comparison of Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar Hardjo strains propagated at different temperatures. J Proteomics 2022; 262:104602. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2022.104602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
|
5
|
Hamond C, LeCount K, Putz EJ, Bayles DO, Camp P, Goris MGA, van der Linden H, Stone NE, Schlater LK, Sahl JW, Wagner DM, Nally JE. Bovine Leptospirosis Due to Persistent Renal Carriage of Leptospira borgpetersenii Serovar Tarassovi. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:848664. [PMID: 35464389 PMCID: PMC9019706 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.848664] [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: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a global zoonotic disease that causes significant morbidity and mortality in human and animal populations. Leptospira interrogans is a leading cause of human disease, and L. borgpetersenii is a leading cause of animal disease. Cattle are reservoir hosts of L. borgpetersenii serovar Hardjo, which is transmitted via urine, semen, and uterine discharges resulting in abortion and poor reproductive performance. Bovine bacterin vaccines can only protect against those serovars included in vaccine formulations and typically include serovar Hardjo among others. Genotyping and serotyping represent two different and unique methods for classifying leptospires that do not always correlate well; comprehensive characterization using either method requires recovery of isolates from infected animals. In this study, we report for the first time, isolation of L. borgpetersenii serovar Tarassovi from the urine of a dairy cow in the U.S. The classification of the isolate, designated strain MN900, was confirmed by whole-genome sequencing, serotyping with reference antisera and monoclonal antibodies, Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization (MALDI), and immunoblotting with reference antisera. Strain MN900 was excreted in urine samples for 18 weeks even as the cow was seronegative for serovar Tarassovi. Strain MN900 has an unusual morphology since it is not as motile as other leptospires and lacks hooked ends. Serovar Tarassovi is not included in U.S. bacterin vaccines. These results demonstrate the importance of culture and concomitant genotyping and serotyping to accurately classify leptospires, and as required to design efficacious vaccine and diagnostic strategies to not only limit animal disease but reduce zoonotic risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Camila Hamond
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.,NCAH Leptospira Working Group, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Karen LeCount
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.,NCAH Leptospira Working Group, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Ellie J Putz
- NCAH Leptospira Working Group, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.,Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Darrell O Bayles
- Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Patrick Camp
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Marga G A Goris
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Office International des Epizooties (OIE) and National Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Hans van der Linden
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Office International des Epizooties (OIE) and National Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Nathan E Stone
- Department of Biological Sciences, 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 (APHIS), United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.,NCAH Leptospira Working Group, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Jason W Sahl
- Department of Biological Sciences, The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States
| | - David M Wagner
- Department of Biological Sciences, The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States
| | - Jarlath E Nally
- NCAH Leptospira Working Group, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.,Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Role of Diagnostics in Epidemiology, Management, Surveillance, and Control of Leptospirosis. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11040395. [PMID: 35456070 PMCID: PMC9032781 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11040395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A One Health approach to the epidemiology, management, surveillance, and control of leptospirosis relies on accessible and accurate diagnostics that can be applied to humans and companion animals and livestock. Diagnosis should be multifaceted and take into account exposure risk, clinical presentation, and multiple direct and/or indirect diagnostic approaches. Methods of direct detection of Leptospira spp. include culture, histopathology and immunostaining of tissues or clinical specimens, and nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs). Indirect serologic methods to detect leptospiral antibodies include the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and lateral flow methods. Rapid diagnostics that can be applied at the point-of-care; NAAT and lateral flow serologic tests are essential for management of acute infection and control of outbreaks. Culture is essential to an understanding of regional knowledge of circulating strains, and we discuss recent improvements in methods for cultivation, genomic sequencing, and serotyping. We review the limitations of NAATs, MAT, and other diagnostic approaches in the context of our expanding understanding of the diversity of pathogenic Leptospira spp. Novel approaches are needed, such as loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based approaches to leptospiral nucleic acid detection.
Collapse
|
7
|
Putz EJ, Nally JE. Investigating the Immunological and Biological Equilibrium of Reservoir Hosts and Pathogenic Leptospira: Balancing the Solution to an Acute Problem? Front Microbiol 2020; 11:2005. [PMID: 32922382 PMCID: PMC7456838 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.02005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a devastating zoonotic disease affecting people and animals across the globe. Pathogenic leptospires are excreted in urine of reservoir hosts which directly or indirectly leads to continued disease transmission, via contact with mucous membranes or a breach of the skin barrier of another host. Human fatalities approach 60,000 deaths per annum; though most vertebrates are susceptible to leptospirosis, complex interactions between host species and serovars of Leptospira can yield disease phenotypes that vary from asymptomatic shedding in reservoir hosts, to multi-organ failure in incidental hosts. Clinical symptoms of acute leptospirosis reflect the diverse range of pathogenic species and serovars that cause infection, the level of exposure, and the relationship of the pathogen with the given host. However, in all cases, pathogenic Leptospira are excreted into the environment via urine from reservoir hosts which are uniformly recognized as asymptomatic carriers. Therefore, the reservoir host serves as the cornerstone of persistent disease transmission. Although bacterin vaccines can be used to abate renal carriage and excretion in domestic animal species, there is an urgent need to advance our understanding of immune-mediated host–pathogen interactions that facilitate persistent asymptomatic carriage. This review summarizes the current understanding of host–pathogen interactions in the reservoir host and prioritizes research to unravel mechanisms that allow for colonization but not destruction of the host. This information is required to understand, and ultimately control, the transmission of pathogenic Leptospira.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ellie J Putz
- Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Jarlath E Nally
- Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, United States
| |
Collapse
|