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Frontiers in veterinary science2024; 11; 1346713; doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1346713

Identification of equine mares as reservoir hosts for pathogenic species of Leptospira.

Abstract: Equine leptospirosis can result in abortion, stillbirth, neonatal death, placentitis, and uveitis. Horses can also act as subclinical reservoir hosts of infection, which are characterized as asymptomatic carriers that persistently excrete leptospires and transmit disease. In this study, PCR and culture were used to assess urinary shedding of pathogenic Leptospira from 37 asymptomatic mares. Three asymptomatic mares, designated as H2, H8, and H9, were PCR-positive for lipL32, a gene specific for pathogenic species of Leptospira. One asymptomatic mare, H9, was culture-positive, and the recovered isolate was classified as L. kirschneri serogroup Australis serovar Rushan. DNA capture and enrichment of Leptospira genomic DNA from PCR-positive, culture-negative samples determined that asymptomatic mare H8 was also shedding L. kirschneri serogroup Australis, whereas asymptomatic mare H2 was shedding L. interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae. Sera from all asymptomatic mares were tested by the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and 35 of 37 (94.6%) were seropositive with titers ranging from 1:100 to 1:3200. In contrast to asymptomatic mares, mare H44 presented with acute spontaneous abortion and a serum MAT titer of 1:102,400 to L. interrogans serogroup Pomona serovar Pomona. Comparison of L. kirschneri serogroup Australis strain H9 with that of L. interrogans serogroup Pomona strain H44 in the hamster model of leptospirosis corroborated differences in virulence of strains. Since lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a protective antigen in bacterin vaccines, the LPS of strain H9 (associated with subclinical carriage) was compared with strain H44 (associated with spontaneous abortion). This revealed different LPS profiles and immunoreactivity with reference antisera. It is essential to know what species and serovars of Leptospira are circulating in equine populations to design efficacious vaccines and diagnostic tests. Our results demonstrate that horses in the US can act as reservoir hosts of leptospirosis and shed diverse pathogenic Leptospira species via urine. This report also details the detection of L. kirschneri serogroup Australis serovar Rushan, a species and serotype of Leptospira, not previously reported in the US.
Copyright © 2024 Hamond, Adam, Stone, LeCount, Anderson, Putz, Camp, Hicks, Stuber, van der Linden, Bayles, Sahl, Schlater, Wagner and Nally.
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Publication Date: 2024-05-09 PubMed ID: 38784659PubMed Central: PMC11112012DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1346713Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article focuses on an investigation regarding equine horses, focusing on how they can act as reservoir hosts for leptospirosis-causing bacteria. The study utilized testing and culture methods to identify pathogenic species of Leptospira in healthy horses, and discovered divergent strains of the bacteria that differed in terms of their virulence.

Assessing Urinary Shedding in Mares

  • The research involved the collection of data from 37 asymptomatic mares.
  • Testing was conducted using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and culture techniques to check for urinary shedding of pathogenic Leptospira.
  • Three of the horses yielded a positive result for Leptospira, echoing the role of horses as subclinical reservoir hosts or passive carriers of the disease that can cause a variety of health complications from spontaneous abortions to uveitis.

Identification of Diverse Pathogenic Leptospira

  • Different asymptomatic mares were observed to be shedding distinct strains of Leptospira, including serogroups Australis and Icterohaemorrhagiae.
  • The researchers examined the serum from each of these horses using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and found a majority (94.6%) to be seropositive for Leptospira, with a range of MAT titers from 1:100 to 1:3200.

Distinction in Strains and Virulence Factors

  • The virulence of different Leptospira strains was compared in hamster models, showing distinct levels of virulence based on the specific strain.
  • Furthermore, the research highlighted the importance of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a protective antigen in vaccines, because differing LPS profiles were found in Leptospira strains associated with subclinical carriage and spontaneous abortion.

Importance of the Study and Future Directions

  • This research contributes valuable data, showing that horses in the US can propagate leptospirosis by shedding various pathogenic Leptospira species in their urine.
  • The study highlights the need for further research to design effective vaccines and diagnostic tests, tailoring them to the species and serovars of Leptospira prevalent among equine populations.
  • The detection of the Leptospira serogroup Australis serovar Rushan, previously unreported in the US, emphasizes the importance of regular testing and continuous research to understand the evolving nature of diseases in animal populations.

Cite This Article

APA
Hamond C, Adam EN, Stone NE, LeCount K, Anderson T, Putz EJ, Camp P, Hicks J, Stuber T, van der Linden H, Bayles DO, Sahl JW, Schlater LK, Wagner DM, Nally JE. (2024). Identification of equine mares as reservoir hosts for pathogenic species of Leptospira. Front Vet Sci, 11, 1346713. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1346713

Publication

Frontiers in veterinary science
ISSN: 2297-1769
NlmUniqueID: 101666658
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Pages: 1346713

Researcher Affiliations

Hamond, Camila
  • National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.
  • National Centers for Animal Health Leptospira Working Group, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.
Adam, Emma N
  • Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, Lexington, KY, United States.
Stone, Nathan E
  • The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States.
LeCount, Karen
  • National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.
  • National Centers for Animal Health Leptospira Working Group, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.
Anderson, Tammy
  • National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.
  • National Centers for Animal Health Leptospira Working Group, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.
Putz, Ellie J
  • Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.
Camp, Patrick
  • National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.
Hicks, Jessica
  • National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.
Stuber, Tod
  • National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.
van der Linden, Hans
  • Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and National Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Bayles, Darrell O
  • Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.
Sahl, Jason W
  • The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States.
Schlater, Linda K
  • National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.
  • National Centers for Animal Health Leptospira Working Group, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.
Wagner, David M
  • The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States.
Nally, Jarlath E
  • National Centers for Animal Health Leptospira Working Group, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.
  • Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, United States.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

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