Determining Risk for Severe Leptospirosis by Molecular Analysis of Environmental Surface Waters for Pathogenic Leptospira

AbstractTypically, humans contract leptospirosis through exposure to soil or water contaminated with the urine of infected animals. Specifically, people working in inundated fields, engaged in aquatic sports, or exposed to contaminated floodwater after periods of heavy rainfall bear the risk of contracting leptospirosis. There is a critical gap in the knowledge of the environmental cycle, transmission, and interaction of Leptospira species with its environment. A few studies establish the presence of higher concentration of leptospires during the rainy season when compared to the dry season. Therefore, we assessed the abundance of leptospires during the dry and wet months and their interaction with other microbes. The overall detection rate of leptospires in paddy field for the test period was 52 (49.5%). Leptospiral concentration positively correlated with the amount of rainfall (mm) during the sampling when compared to months that received comparatively less rainfall (60% vs. 28.5%, respectively). When observed for the microbial interaction, Leptospira showed significant negative correlation with Pseudomonas and rainfall in the paddy field. Moreover, Pseudomonas negatively correlated with the amount of rainfall. Corroborative results of in-vitro studies suggest the antagonistic effect of Pseudomonas spp. on leptospires. The results indicate that seasonal changes influence the diversity of free-living well-adaptive aquatic antagonistic microbe populations and may in turn determine the survival of Leptospira in the environment. Thus, microbial interaction can be the possible enigma for the fluctuation of Leptospira count in rainy and dry seasons in environmental surface water, which needs to be further confirmed. This will pave way for a better understanding of the survival of leptospires and the seasonal trend of exposure to humans.

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Pathogenic Leptospira in Malaysian Surface Waters

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene ◽

10.4269/ajtmh.1970.19.485 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 485-492 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

M. F. Baker ◽

H. J. Baker

Keyword(s):

Surface Waters ◽

Pathogenic Leptospira

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Distribution and Diversity of Pathogenic Leptospira Species in Peri-domestic Surface Waters from South Central Chile

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽

10.1371/journal.pntd.0004895 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. e0004895 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Meghan R. Mason ◽

Carolina Encina ◽

Srinand Sreevatsan ◽

Claudia Muñoz-Zanzi

Keyword(s):

Surface Waters ◽

Pathogenic Leptospira ◽

Central Chile ◽

South Central ◽

Leptospira Species

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Quantitative assessment of Naegleria fowleri and Escherichia coli concentrations within a Texas reservoir

Journal of Water and Health ◽

10.2166/wh.2013.162 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 346-357 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Stephanie M. Painter ◽

Russell S. Pfau ◽

Jeff A. Brady ◽

Anne M. S. McFarland

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Surface Waters ◽

Water Samples ◽

Late Summer ◽

Naegleria Fowleri ◽

Fecal Indicator ◽

E Coli ◽

Environmental Surface ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Nægleria Fowleri

Previous presence/absence studies have indicated a correlation between the presence of the pathogenic amoeba Naegleria fowleri and the presence of bacteria, such as the fecal indicator Escherichia coli, in environmental surface waters. The objective of this study was to use quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) methodologies to measure N. fowleri and E. coli concentrations within a Texas reservoir in late summer, and to determine if concentrations of N. fowleri and E. coli were statistically correlated. N. fowleri was detected in water samples from 67% of the reservoir sites tested, with concentrations ranging up to an estimated 26 CE (cell equivalents)/100 mL. E. coli was detected in water samples from 60% of the reservoir sites tested, with concentrations ranging up to 427 CE/100 mL. In this study, E. coli concentrations were not indicative of N. fowleri concentrations.

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Phosphate treatment to reduce plumbosolvency of drinking water also reduces discharges of copper into environmental surface waters

Water and Environment Journal ◽

10.1111/j.1747-6593.2010.00219.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 266-270 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Sean Comber ◽

Franck Cassé ◽

Bruce Brown ◽

John Martin ◽

Peter Hillis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Surface Waters ◽

Environmental Surface ◽

Phosphate Treatment

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Comparing TiO2 nanoparticle formulations: stability and photoreactivity are key factors in acute toxicity to Daphnia magna

Environmental Science Nano ◽

10.1039/c9en00666d ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (8) ◽

pp. 2532-2543 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jeffrey M. Farner ◽

Rachel S. Cheong ◽

Emeric Mahé ◽

Hemanshu Anand ◽

Nathalie Tufenkji

Keyword(s):

Titanium Dioxide ◽

Acute Toxicity ◽

Daphnia Magna ◽

Surface Waters ◽

Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles ◽

Tio2 Nanoparticle ◽

Key Factors ◽

Environmental Surface

Given their widespread manufacture and use, it is anticipated that titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) will make their way into environmental surface waters where they may adversely impact biota.

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Relationship between Physicochemical Characteristics and Pathogenic Leptospira in Urban Slum Waters

Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease ◽

10.3390/tropicalmed5030146 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 146

Author(s):

Daiana de Oliveira ◽

Vladimir Airam Querino ◽

Yeonsoo Sara Lee ◽

Marcelo Cunha ◽

Nivison Nery Jr. ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Waters ◽

Regression Models ◽

Urban Slum ◽

Physicochemical Characteristics ◽

Chemical Markers ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Developing Regions ◽

Pathogenic Leptospira ◽

Physico Chemical ◽

Strength Of Association

Leptospirosis, a zoonosis caused by pathogenic Leptospira, primarily affects tropical, developing regions, especially communities without adequate sanitation. Outbreaks of leptospirosis have been linked with the presence of pathogenic Leptospira in water. In this study, we measured the physicochemical characteristics (temperature, pH, salinity, turbidity, electrical conductivity, and total dissolved solids (TDS)) of surface waters from an urban slum in Salvador, Brazil, and analyzed their associations with the presence and concentration of pathogenic Leptospira reported previously. We built logistic and linear regression models to determine the strength of association between physicochemical parameters and the presence and concentration of Leptospira. We found that salinity, TDS, pH, and type of water were strongly associated with the presence of Leptospira. In contrast, only pH was associated with the concentration of the pathogen in water. The study of physico-chemical markers can contribute to a better understanding of the occurrence of Leptospira in water and to the identification of sources of risk in urban slum environments.

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Sex Matters: Male Hamsters Are More Susceptible to Lethal Infection with Lower Doses of Pathogenic Leptospira than Female Hamsters

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.00369-18 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 86 (10) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Charles K. Gomes ◽

Mariana Guedes ◽

Hari-Hara Potula ◽

Odir A. Dellagostin ◽

Maria Gomes-Solecki

Keyword(s):

Animal Model ◽

Leptospira Interrogans ◽

Pathogenic Leptospira ◽

Male And Female ◽

Transcript Levels ◽

Content Type ◽

Human Leptospirosis ◽

Lethal Infection ◽

Severe Leptospirosis ◽

Higher Doses

ABSTRACT A somewhat contradictory published body of evidence suggests that sex impacts severity outcomes of human leptospirosis. In this study, we used an acute animal model of disease to analyze leptospirosis in male and female hamsters infected side by side with low but increasing doses of Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni. We found that male hamsters were considerably more susceptible to leptospirosis, given that only 6.3% survived infection, whereas 68.7% of the females survived the same infection doses. In contrast to the females, male hamsters had high burdens of L. interrogans in kidney and high histopathological scores after exposure to low infection doses (∼103 bacteria). In hamsters infected with higher doses of L. interrogans (∼104 bacteria), differences in pathogen burdens as well as cytokine and fibrosis transcript levels in kidney were not distinct between sexes. Our results indicate that male hamsters infected with L. interrogans are more susceptible to severe leptospirosis after exposure to lower infectious doses than females.

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