A unique genotype of Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona type kennewicki is associated with equine abortion.
Abstract: Although serologic data indicate horses in N. America are exposed to a variety of leptospiral serovars, abortion is almost always associated with Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona type kennewicki. A variety of wildlife including raccoons, white tailed deer, striped skunks, opossums, and red and grey foxes have been shown to host serovar Pomona and have therefore been suspect as sources of infection for pregnant mares. The aim of the present study was to examine genetic diversity in serovar Pomona type kennewicki in wildlife and in aborting mares. Our approach utilized PCR that targeted tandem repeats at the VNTR - 4 locus and a 1235 bp 5'-sequence of the lk73.5 (sph2) and adjacent upstream sequence unique to serovar Pomona. All isolates/specimens of equine origin in 1992 and 2008 yielded amplicons of 1235 and 595 bp, whereas 14 isolates/specimens from wildlife yielding a 1235 bp amplicon characteristic of serovar Pomona produced amplicons of 1300, 550 bp (3), 1300 bp (10), or 595 bp (6) with the VNTR - 4 primer set. Wildlife therefore hosted at least three different genetic variants of type kennewicki including the genetic variant that predominated in aborting mares. The data are consistent with other studies indicating specific genetic variants of type kennewicki show a strong tendency to be associated with a specific host. Levels of antibody in wildlife sera reactive with rLk73.5, rLig130 and sonicate of type kennewicki were poorly correlated with PCR data, although rLk73.5 was superior to rLig130 in detection of antibody responses. PCR is therefore a more reliable tool for studies of wildlife reservoirs of Leptospira sp. than serologic surveillance that targets host induced proteins or LPS-rich sonicate.
Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2011-02-26 PubMed ID: 21450416DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2011.02.049Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The study investigates the genetic diversity in the strain of bacteria, Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona type kennewicki, which leads to abortion in horses. It is found that wildlife hosts various genetic variants of this bacteria, including the type that predominates in aborting mares.
Research Context
- Historically, various serological data has indicated that horses in North America are exposed to a wide array of leptospiral serovars, but the occurrence of abortion seems to be largely linked with a particular strain – Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona type kennewicki.
- Diverse wildlife including raccoons, white-tailed deer, striped skunks, opossums, and red and grey foxes have been identified as hosts for this specific serovar and are, thus, suspected to be potential infection sources for pregnant horses.
- The focus of this study was set on examining the genetic diversity existing within the kennewicki type of serovar Pomona both in aborting mares and wildlife.
Methodology & Findings
- The method involved the use of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) targeted at tandem repeats at the VNTR-4 locus and a specific sequence unique to serovar Pomona.
- All the isolates/specimens extracted from horses in 1992 and 2008 resulted in amplicons of specific lengths. However, the samples obtained from wildlife had varied amplicons while all maintaining a 1235 bp amplicon characteristic of serovar Pomona.
- This established that wildlife hosts have at least three different genetic variants of type kennewicki, inclusive of the genetic variant largely found in aborting mares.
Conclusions
- The observations upheld results of earlier studies indicating that specific genetic variants of type kennewicki are predisposed to being linked with a specific host.
- The levels of antibody observed were poorly correlated with PCR data, indicating that PCR was a more reliable tool for studies related to wildlife reservoirs of Leptospira species than serologic surveillance.
Cite This Article
APA
Timoney JF, Kalimuthusamy N, Velineni S, Donahue JM, Artiushin SC, Fettinger M.
(2011).
A unique genotype of Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona type kennewicki is associated with equine abortion.
Vet Microbiol, 150(3-4), 349-353.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2011.02.049 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0099, USA. jtimoney@uky.edu
MeSH Terms
- Abortion, Veterinary / microbiology
- Animals
- Animals, Wild
- Female
- Genetic Variation
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona / genetics
- Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona / isolation & purification
- Minisatellite Repeats
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Pregnancy
Citations
This article has been cited 13 times.- Anderson T, Hamond C, Haluch A, Toot K, Nally JE, LeCount K, Schlater LK. Animals Exposed to Leptospira Serogroups Not Included in Bacterins in the United States and Puerto Rico.. Trop Med Infect Dis 2023 Mar 22;8(3).
- Azócar-Aedo L. Basic Aspects and Epidemiological Studies on Leptospirosis Carried Out in Animals in Chile: A Bibliographic Review.. Trop Med Infect Dis 2023 Feb 1;8(2).
- Cantón GJ, Navarro MA, Asin J, Chu P, Henderson EE, Mete A, Uzal FA. Equine abortion and stillbirth in California: a review of 1,774 cases received at a diagnostic laboratory, 1990-2022.. J Vet Diagn Invest 2023 Mar;35(2):153-162.
- Tirosh-Levy S, Baum M, Schvartz G, Kalir B, Pe'er O, Shnaiderman-Torban A, Bernstein M, Blum SE, Steinman A. Seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. in Horses in Israel.. Pathogens 2021 Apr 1;10(4).
- Akter R, Legione A, Sansom FM, El-Hage CM, Hartley CA, Gilkerson JR, Devlin JM. Detection of Coxiella burnetii and equine herpesvirus 1, but not Leptospira spp. or Toxoplasma gondii, in cases of equine abortion in Australia - a 25 year retrospective study.. PLoS One 2020;15(5):e0233100.
- Matsunaga J, Haake DA. cis-Acting Determinant Limiting Expression of Sphingomyelinase Gene sph2 in Leptospira interrogans, Identified with a gfp Reporter Plasmid.. Appl Environ Microbiol 2018 Dec 1;84(23).
- Wood PL, Steinman M, Erol E, Carter C, Christmann U, Verma A. Lipidomic analysis of immune activation in equine leptospirosis and Leptospira-vaccinated horses.. PLoS One 2018;13(2):e0193424.
- Zhang W, Lu X, Wang W, Ding Z, Fu Y, Zhou X, Zhang N, Cao Y. Inhibitory Effects of Emodin, Thymol, and Astragalin on Leptospira interrogans-Induced Inflammatory Response in the Uterine and Endometrium Epithelial Cells of Mice.. Inflammation 2017 Apr;40(2):666-675.
- Narayanavari SA, Lourdault K, Sritharan M, Haake DA, Matsunaga J. Role of sph2 Gene Regulation in Hemolytic and Sphingomyelinase Activities Produced by Leptospira interrogans.. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015;9(8):e0003952.
- Ye C, Yan W, McDonough PL, McDonough SP, Mohamed H, Divers TJ, Chang YF, Yang Z. Serodiagnosis of equine leptospirosis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using four recombinant protein markers.. Clin Vaccine Immunol 2014 Apr;21(4):478-83.
- Hamond C, Pinna A, Martins G, Lilenbaum W. The role of leptospirosis in reproductive disorders in horses.. Trop Anim Health Prod 2014 Jan;46(1):1-10.
- Magwedere K, Hemberger MY, Hoffman LC, Dziva F. Zoonoses: a potential obstacle to the growing wildlife industry of Namibia.. Infect Ecol Epidemiol 2012;2.
- Hamond C, Martins G, Lilenbaum W. Subclinical leptospirosis may impair athletic performance in racing horses.. Trop Anim Health Prod 2012 Dec;44(8):1927-30.
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