We previously reported the cloning and characterization of leptospiral immunoglobulin-like proteins LigA and LigB of Leptospira interrogans. LigA and LigB are conserved at the amino-terminal region but are variable at the carboxyl-terminal region. Here, we evaluate the potential of recombinant LigA (rLigA) as a vaccine candidate against infection by L. interrogans serovar Pomona in a hamster mo...

Leptospira spp., the causative agents of leptospirosis, adhere to components of the extracellular matrix, a pivotal role for colonization of host tissues during infection. Previously, we and others have shown that Leptospira immunoglobulin-like proteins (Lig) of Leptospira spp. bind to fibronectin, laminin, collagen, and fibrinogen. In this study, we report that Leptospira can be immobilized by...

Background Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic bacteria belonging to the genus Leptospira and more than 1 million cases occur worldwide annually. Several mammals may carry the agent, and rats are the most important source of human infection in urban settings. The Leptospira surface proteins have an important role during pathogen infection and some of these allow the differe...

Current efforts to understand antibiotic resistance on the whole genome scale tend to focus on known genes even as high throughput sequencing strategies uncover novel mechanisms. To identify genomic variations associated with antibiotic resistance, we employed a modified genome-wide association study; we sequenced genomic DNA from pools of E. coli clinical isolates with similar antibiotic resis...

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to develop a duplex endpoint PCR assay for rapid detection and differentiation of Leptospira strains. METHODS: Primers were designed to target the rrs (LG1/LG2) and ligB (LP1/LP2) genes to confirm the presence of the Leptospira genus and the pathogenic species, respectively. RESULTS: The assay showed 100% specificity against 17 Leptospira strains with a limit ...