Prevalence of Leptospira spp. in urban rodents from a Groceries Trade Center of Medellín, Colombia

Piedad Agudelo-Flórez, Andrés F. Londoño, Víctor H. Quiroz, Juan C. Ángel, Natalí Moreno, Erica T. Loaiza, Luis F. Muñoz, Juan D. Rodas

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

51 Scopus citations

Abstract

Leptospirosis is a widely distributed zoonosis, and rats are its most common source of infection. Our goal was to determine the frequency for Leptospira infection in rodents in a farmers market in the city of Medellin. We performed a descriptive transversal study sampling 254 rodents. Rodents were bled and killed, and kidneys samples were taken. Supematants of macerated kidneys were cultured on Fletcher medium. Microagglutination tests (MATs) with 11 serovars were also carried out in rat serum, and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) specific for pathogenic species was used to test each bacterial culture. All animals were identified as Rattus norvegicus; 25% and 20% were positive by MAT and culture, respectively. PCR tests of 12 isolates were positive for pathogenic serovars, and 4 of them were confirmed as L. interrogans by sequencing. These data show the role of this natural carrier and shedder of pathogenic leptospires in the epidemiology of urban leptospirosis in Colombia.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)906-910
Number of pages5
JournalAmerican Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume81
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2009
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Virology
  • Parasitology

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