Leptospira noguchiiand Human and Animal Leptospirosis, Southern Brazil

Éverton F Silva,Núbia Seyffert,Daniel A Athanazio,Gustavo M Cerqueira,Fabiana K Seixas,Odir A Dellagostin,Adriano Queiroz,Claudiomar S Brod,Luciano S Pinto,Daiane D Hartwig,Albert I Ko

doi:10.3201/eid1504.071669

Abstract

To the Editor: Pathogenic leptospires, the causative agents of leptospirosis, exhibit wide phenotypic and genotypic variations. They are currently classified into 17 species and >200 serovars (1,2). Most reported cases of leptospirosis in Brazil are of urban origin and caused by Leptospira interrogans (3). Brazil underwent a dramatic demographic transformation due to uncontrolled growth of urban centers during the last 60 years. Urban slums are sites of poor sanitation that favors rat-borne transmission of leptospirosis among humans. Thus, this may explain the major involvement of serovar Copenhageni (L. interrogans). The predominance of L. interrogans is likely due to the underestimation of rural cases of leptospirosis.

Highlights

To the Editor: Pathogenic leptospires, the causative agents of leptospirosis, exhibit wide phenotypic and genotypic variations
Human leptospirosis associated with L. noguchii has been reported only in the United States, Peru, and Panama, with the isolation of strains Autumnalis Fort Bragg, Tarassovi Bac 1376, and Undesignated 2050, respectively (1,6)
We report the isolation of 3 additional L. noguchii strains from Brazil, including 2 from cases of human leptospirosis

Summary

Introduction

To the Editor: Pathogenic leptospires, the causative agents of leptospirosis, exhibit wide phenotypic and genotypic variations. Our research group has recently reported the isolation of L. noguchii in Brazil from sheep (5). Human leptospirosis associated with L. noguchii has been reported only in the United States, Peru, and Panama, with the isolation of strains Autumnalis Fort Bragg, Tarassovi Bac 1376, and Undesignated 2050, respectively (1,6).

Results

Conclusion