A duplex-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the rapid detection of pathogenic leptospires was developed by using two sets of newly designed primers which amplified in the same reaction two different DNA fragments simultaneously: 279-bp of LipL32 and 430-bp of 16S rRNA. For DNA extraction from bacterial cultures, the silica-based spin column method was found to be more suitable and was selected...

background leptospirosis is recognized as a re-emerging infectious disease; therefore, understanding the epidemiology of the disease is vital for designing intervention programs and diminishing its transmission. recently, multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis (mlva) is used for segregating and identifying leptospira serovars. the method has potential application in investigating the...

background: this study is performed to reveal most common species and subspecies of leptospires that are main causes of hu­man leptospirosis in guilan, northern province of iran. methods: we performed igm-elisa and mat on 282 blood samples from patients who attended to 3 hospitals in the flat area of guilan province with clinical symptoms consisted with leptospirosis.  all specimens with titers...

The potential leptospiral infection hazard in the use of vaccines prepared from canine kidney monolayer cultures was studied. Cell cultures were prepared from kidneys of dogs experimentally infected with Leptospira serotype canicola. Viable leptospires were found in kidney cell suspensions at the time of seeding, surviving trypsinization either at room temperature for approximately 2 hr or over...

Sequential disruption of the sheath of avirulent leptospires of the serotype canicola with antibody and complement was monitored by electron microscopy. Loosening and separation of the sheath from the protoplasmic cylinder was observed as early as 2 min after exposure to complement. Virulent leptospires of this serotype were morphologically intact after 1 hr of exposure to antibody and compleme...

BACKGROUND Leptospirosis, a re-emerging disease of global importance caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp., is considered the world's most widespread zoonotic disease. Rats serve as asymptomatic carriers of pathogenic Leptospira and are critical for disease spread. In such reservoir hosts, leptospires colonize the kidney, are shed in the urine, persist in fresh water and gain access to a new mam...

There have been few reports on the epidemiological analysis of environmental Leptospira isolates. This is probably because the isolation of leptospires from the environment was usually unsuccessful due to the overgrowth of contaminants and the slow growth of Leptospira. In this study, we collected a total of 88 samples of soil and water from three sites: Metro Manila and Nueva Ecija, Philippine...

Climate change, world population growth, and poverty have led to an increase in the incidence of leptospirosis. Leptospirosis is caused by pathogenic spirochaete bacteria that belong to the genus Leptospira. The bacteria are maintained in the renal tubules of the reservoir hosts (typically a rodent), then shed into the environment via the urine. Water is key for environmental survival and trans...

Leptospirosis is one of the most widespread zoonoses in the world, and its most severe form in humans, "Weil's disease," may lead to jaundice, hemorrhage, renal failure, pulmonary hemorrhage syndrome, and sometimes,fatal multiple organ failure. Although the mechanisms underlying jaundice in leptospirosis have been gradually unraveled, the pathophysiology and distribution of leptospires during t...

A definite relationship exists between the resistance of leptospires to the antibody-complement system and virulence. Leptospires capable of producing either lethal or renal infections in hamsters or guinea pigs were resistant to the leptospiricidal action of antibody and complement. Avirulent leptospires, in contrast to the virulent organisms, were rapidly immobilized and killed by these serum...