Publications

multifunctional and redundant roles of leptospira interrogans proteins in bacterial-adhesion and fibrin clotting inhibition.	pathogenic leptopira is the etiological agent of leptospirosis, the most widespread zoonotic infection in the world. the disease represents a major public health problem, especially in tropical countries. the present work focused on two hypothetical proteins of unknown function, encoded by the genes lic13059 and lic10879, and predicted to be surface-exposed proteins. the genes were cloned and the proteins expressed using e. coli as a host system. we report that the recombinant proteins interacte ...	2017	28600123
disease surveillance of california ground squirrels ( spermophilus beecheyi ) in a drive-through zoo in oregon, usa.	rodents and other small wild mammals are often considered to be pests and vectors for disease in zoos that house small populations of valuable threatened and endangered animals. in 2005, three nonhuman primates at a drive-through zoo in oregon, us, acquired tularemia from an unknown source. due to an abundance of california ground squirrels ( spermophilus beecheyi ) on zoo grounds, we instituted serosurveillance of this species from july through september 2008 to determine the prevalence of anti ...	2017	28418764
a survey of zoonotic pathogens carried by house mouse and black rat populations in yucatan, mexico.	the house mouse (mus musculus) and the black rat (rattus rattus) are reservoir hosts for zoonotic pathogens, several of which cause neglected tropical diseases (ntds). studies of the prevalence of these ntd-causing zoonotic pathogens, in house mice and black rats from tropical residential areas are scarce. three hundred and two house mice and 161 black rats were trapped in 2013 from two urban neighbourhoods and a rural village in yucatan, mexico, and subsequently tested for trypanosoma cruzi, hy ...	2017	28689507
pre-treatment with lactobacillus plantarum prevents severe pathogenesis in mice infected with leptospira interrogans and may be associated with recruitment of myeloid cells.	recent estimates on global morbidity and mortality caused by leptospirosis point to one million cases and almost 60,000 deaths a year worldwide, especially in resource poor countries. we analyzed how a commensal probiotic immunomodulator, lactobacillus plantarum, affects leptospira interrogans pathogenesis in a murine model of sub-lethal leptospirosis. we found that repeated oral pre-treatment of mice with live l. plantarum restored body weight to normal levels in mice infected with l. interroga ...	2017	28841659
leptospira diversity in animals and humans in tahiti, french polynesia.	leptospirosis is a highly endemic bacterial zoonosis in french polynesia (fp). nevertheless, data on the epidemiology of leptospirosis in fp are scarce. we conducted molecular studies on leptospira isolated from humans and the potential main animal reservoirs in order to identify the most likely sources for human infection.	2017	28658269
molecular typing of leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo isolates from leptospirosis outbreaks in brazilian livestock.	leptospirosis is caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus leptospira spp. this zoonotic disease is distributed globally and affects domestic animals, including cattle. leptospira interrogans serogroup sejroe serovar hardjo and leptospira borgpetersenii serogroup sejroe serovar hardjo remain important species associated with this reproductive disease in livestock production. previous studies on brazilian livestock have reported that l. interrogans serovar hardjo is the most prevalent leptosp ...	2017	28619055
human leptospirosis in seychelles: a prospective study confirms the heavy burden of the disease but suggests that rats are not the main reservoir.	leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonosis caused by pathogenic leptospira for which rats are considered as the main reservoir. disease incidence is higher in tropical countries, especially in insular ecosystems. our objectives were to determine the current burden of leptospirosis in seychelles, a country ranking first worldwide according to historical data, to establish epidemiological links between animal reservoirs and human disease, and to identify drivers of transmission.	2017	28846678
male-specific pulmonary hemorrhage and cytokine gene expression in golden hamster in early-phase leptospira interrogans serovar hebdomadis infection.	leptospirosis causes severe clinical signs more frequently in men than in women, but the mechanism underlying the gender differences in leptospirosis remains unclear. in this study, petechial hemorrhage was observed in male but not in female hamster lung tissues infected with leptospira interrogans serovar hebdomadis at 120 h pi, demonstrating that male hamsters were more susceptible to the development of a severe disease upon leptospira infection. no leptospiral dna was detected in the lung tis ...	2017	28811249
doxycycline attenuates leptospira-induced il-1β by suppressing nlrp3 inflammasome priming.	doxycycline (dox), a semisynthetic antibiotic, has been reported to exert multiple immunomodulatory effects. treatment with dox has a satisfactory curative effect against leptospirosis. in addition to its antibacterial action, we supposed that dox also modulated immune response in controlling leptospira infection. using j774a.1 mouse macrophages, the effects of dox on protein and mrna levels of il-1β and tnf-α were investigated after infection with live or sonicated leptospira interrogans serova ...	2017	28791016
structural and mutational analyses of the leptospira interrogans virulence-related heme oxygenase provide insights into its catalytic mechanism.	heme oxygenase from leptospira interrogans is an important virulence factor. during catalysis, redox equivalents are provided to this enzyme by the plastidic-type ferredoxin-nadp+ reductase also found in l. interrogans. this process may have evolved to aid this bacterial pathogen to obtain heme-iron from their host and enable successful colonization. herein we report the crystal structure of the heme oxygenase-heme complex at 1.73 å resolution. the structure reveals several distinctive features ...	2017	28771589
leptospira interrogans causes quantitative and morphological disturbances in adherens junctions and other biological groups of proteins in human endothelial cells.	pathogenic leptospira transmits from animals to humans, causing the zoonotic life-threatening infection called leptospirosis. this infection is reported worldwide with higher risk in tropical regions. symptoms of leptospirosis range from mild illness to severe illness such as liver damage, kidney failure, respiratory distress, meningitis, and fatal hemorrhagic disease. invasive species of leptospira rapidly disseminate to multiple tissues where this bacterium damages host endothelial cells, incr ...	2017	28750011
immunoprotective properties of recombinant liga and ligb in a hamster model of acute leptospirosis.	leptospirosis is the most widespread zoonosis and is considered a major public health problem worldwide. currently, there is no widely available vaccine against leptospirosis for use in humans. a purified, recombinant subunit vaccine that includes the last six immunoglobulin-like (ig-like) domains of the leptospiral protein liga (liga7'-13) protects against lethal infection but not renal colonization after challenge by leptospira interrogans. in this study, we examined whether the addition of th ...	2017	28704385
data on leptospira interrogans sv pomona infection in meat workers in new zealand.	the data presented in this article are related to the research article entitled "comparison between generalized linear modelling and additive bayesian network; identification of factors associated with the incidence of antibodies against leptospira interrogans sv pomona in meat workers in new zealand" (pittavino et al., 2017) [5]. a prospective cohort study was conducted in four sheep slaughtering abattoirs in new zealand (nz) (dreyfus et al., 2015) [1]. sera were collected twice a year from 384 ...	2017	28702495
mononuclear-macrophages but not neutrophils act as major infiltrating anti-leptospiral phagocytes during leptospirosis.	to identify the major infiltrating phagocytes during leptospirosis and examine the killing mechanism used by the host to eliminate leptospira interrogans.	2017	28700741
epidemiology behavior of leptospirosis in ciénaga de oro, córdoba (colombia).	the purpose of this study was to determine the epidemiology of leptospirosis in rural areas of ciénaga de oro, córdoba, colombia, a convenience sampling was carried out on 13 farms. the sample size was 325 reproductive age cows, 11 canine samples, and 20 humans. the samples were subjected to mat analysis with 11 serogroups of leptospira interrogans sensu lato. once the mat results were received, urine samples were collected from 78 cows, along with 39 water samples, for bacteriological cultures ...	2017	28660382
serial changes in complete blood counts in patients with leptospirosis: our experience.	leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by leptospira interrogans. it is endemic in many parts of the world. the symptoms vary between milder forms to severe type with organ dysfunction. the disease presents with diagnostic challenge as it clinically mimics acute febrile illness due to other causes.	2017	28658767
structural and enzymatic characterization of a camp-dependent diguanylate cyclase from pathogenic leptospira species.	leptospira interrogans serovar copenhageni is a human pathogen that causes leptospirosis, a worldwide zoonosis. the l. interrogans genome codes for a wide array of potential diguanylate cyclase (dgc) enzymes with characteristic ggdef domains capable of synthesizing the cyclic dinucleotide c-di-gmp, known to regulate transitions between different cellular behavioral states in bacteria. among such enzymes, lic13137 (lcd1), which has an n-terminal cgmp-specific phosphodiesterases, adenylyl cyclases ...	2017	28601495
the role of reactive oxygen intermediates in the intracellular fate of leptospira interrogans in the macrophages of different hosts.	pathogenic species of leptospira cause leptospirosis, a global zoonotic disease. our previous work showed that leptospires survive and replicate in human macrophages but are killed in murine macrophages. however, the mechanism responsible for the different intracellular fates of leptospires within the macrophages of different hosts remains unclear.	2017	28575082
a new model of self-resolving leptospirosis in mice infected with a strain of leptospira interrogans serovar autumnalis harboring lps signaling only through tlr4.	leptospirosis is an emerging worldwide zoonosis caused by pathogenic leptospira spp. our understanding of leptospirosis pathogenesis and host immune response remains limited, while mechanistic studies are hindered by a lack of proper animal models and immunological reagents. here we established a murine model of acute and self-resolving leptospirosis by infecting 10-week-old c57bl/6 mice with leptospira interrogans serovar autumnalis strain 56606v, with characteristic manifestations including ja ...	2017	28536433
pressor support during a jarisch herxheimer reaction after initiation of treatment for weil's disease.	we present a case of weil's disease complicated by a jarisch-herxheimer reaction (jhr) after initiation of antibiotics while in the emergency department requiring invasive monitoring and vasopressor support. the case is followed by a brief review of the jhr which is rarely observed with treatment of leptospirosis. a healthy 28-year-old female who recently returned from the caribbean presented to the emergency department with flu-like symptoms. the patient appeared jaundiced with conjunctival suf ...	2017	28527874
discovery of novel leptospirosis vaccine candidates using reverse and structural vaccinology.	leptospira spp. are diderm (two membranes) bacteria that infect mammals causing leptospirosis, a public health problem with global implications. thousands of people die every year due to leptospirosis, especially in developing countries with tropical climates. prophylaxis is difficult due to multiple factors, including the large number of asymptomatic hosts that transmit the bacteria, poor sanitation, increasing numbers of slum dwellers, and the lack of an effective vaccine. several leptospiral ...	2017	28496441
lethal pulmonary hemorrhage syndrome due to leptospira infection transmitted by pet rat.	human infection with leptospira interrogans can be life-threatening. multiple organ involvement frequently presents with liver and kidney failure, less commonly including severe hemolysis and pulmonary hemorrhage syndrome. here, we present a fulminant case of leptospirosis presenting with hemolysis and pulmonary hemorrhage. a formerly healthy 34 year old patient presented to a rural hospital with dyspnea and hemoptysis after a week of influenza-like symptoms. initial assessment revealed severe s ...	2017	28491815
comparison between generalized linear modelling and additive bayesian network; identification of factors associated with the incidence of antibodies against leptospira interrogans sv pomona in meat workers in new zealand.	additive bayesian network (abn) is a graphical model which extends generalized linear modelling (glm) to multiple dependent variables. the present study compares results from glm with those from abn analysis used to identify factors associated with leptospira interrogans sv pomona (pomona) infection by exploring the advantages and disadvantages of these two methodologies, to corroborate inferences informing health and safety measures at abattoirs in new zealand (nz).	2017	28487178
leptospira species in feral cats and black rats from western australia and christmas island.	leptospirosis is a neglected, re-emerging bacterial disease with both zoonotic and conservation implications. rats and livestock are considered the usual sources of human infection, but all mammalian species are capable of carrying leptospira spp. and transmitting pathogenic leptospires in their urine, and uncertainty remains about the ecology and transmission dynamics of leptospira in different regions. in light of a recent case of human leptospirosis on tropical christmas island, this study ai ...	2017	28437186
immune response and protective profile elicited by a multi-epitope chimeric protein derived from leptospira interrogans.	pathogenic leptospira is the causative agent of leptospirosis, a widely disseminated disease of human and veterinary concern. the development of vaccines that elicit cross-protective immunity through multiple leptospiral serovars has long been pursued. the aim of this study was to develop a novel chimeric multi-epitope fusion antigen, containing sequences of previously studied outer membrane proteins (omps) of leptospira.	2017	28161462
characterization of two new putative adhesins of leptospira interrogans.	we here report the characterization of two novel proteins encoded by the genes lic11122 and lic12287, identified in the genome sequences of leptospira interrogans, annotated, respectively, as a putative sigma factor and a hypothetical protein. the cdss lic11122 and lic12287 have signal peptide spii and spi and are predicted to be located mainly at the cytoplasmic membrane of the bacteria. the genes were cloned and the proteins expressed using escherichia coli. proteinase k digestion showed that ...	2017	28198346
genome-wide transcriptional start site mapping and srna identification in the pathogen leptospira interrogans.	leptospira are emerging zoonotic pathogens transmitted from animals to humans typically through contaminated environmental sources of water and soil. regulatory pathways of pathogenic leptospira spp. underlying the adaptive response to different hosts and environmental conditions remains elusive. in this study, we provide the first global transcriptional start site (tss) map of a leptospira species. rna was obtained from the pathogen leptospira interrogans grown at 30°c (optimal in vitro tempera ...	2017	28154810
beyond rabies: are free-ranging skunks (mephitis mephitis) in british columbia reservoirs of emerging infection?	wild animal reservoirs are an important source of emerging and zoonotic infection. skunks (mephitis mephitis) are a reservoir of skunk strain rabies virus in canada, with the exception of some areas including the province of british columbia (bc). beyond rabies, the reservoir status of skunks for emerging and zoonotic pathogens in bc is unknown. from march 2011 to february 2015, 50 free-ranging skunks were necropsied and tested for 4 pathogens: influenza a, aleutian disease virus (adv), leptospi ...	2017	26392297