Detection of leptospires from infected urine and tissue samples in vitro by modified Fontana silver stain

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The microbiological diagnosis of leptospirosis comprises bacteriological and serological methods. The former ones allow the direct detection of leptospires and are considered presumptive with the exception of culture. Therefore, they constitute invaluable tools for rapid diagnosis, mainly in samples from deceased subjects. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a modified Fontana silver staining method in experimentally infected samples. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Human and animal (hamster) urine samples were experimentally infected with different strains of Leptospira interrogans sensu lato. Liquid culture medium, leptospira cultures, experimentally infected and non-infected human urine samples, clarified and non-clarified imprints, and clarified and non-clarified suspension smears from tissues of experimentally infected and non-infected hamsters were applied for the ass essment of silver staining. The analytical sensitivity of the assay was compared with dark field microscopy and culture. Other bacterial and fungi species were also used. RESULTS: The modified Fontana silver staining allowed the accurate observation of the well-defined leptospire helical structure. On leptospire cultures from infected human samples, we could observe until (1-10) × 10³ leptospires/ml, higher sensitivity in comparison with direct dark field microscopy and lower in comparison with culture. The best results in tissues were obtained on clarified imprints and non-clarified suspension smears. Morphological and stainable structures compatible with leptospires were not observed in the samples without them. CONCLUSION: This procedure allowed differentiating the characteristic morphology of leptospires. As its application suggests, it consists of a simple and easily conducted procedure with stable reagents.