Molecular detection of leptospiral DNA in environmental water on St. Kitts

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014 Aug 7;11(8):7953-60. doi: 10.3390/ijerph110807953.

Abstract

Leptospirosis is an important waterborne zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic Leptospira. The pathogen is maintained in a population due to chronic colonization and shedding from renal tubules of domestic and wild animals. Humans and other animals become infected when they come in contact with urine from infected animals, either directly or through urine-contaminated surface water. In this study, we screened environmental water on the island of St. Kitts by using a TaqMan based real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) targeting a pathogen specific leptospiral gene, lipl32. Our results indicate that around one-fifth of tested water sources have detectable leptospiral DNA.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / genetics*
  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Fresh Water / microbiology*
  • Leptospira / classification*
  • Leptospira / genetics
  • Leptospira / isolation & purification*
  • Leptospirosis / epidemiology*
  • Leptospirosis / microbiology
  • Lipoproteins / genetics*
  • Lipoproteins / metabolism
  • Prevalence
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis

Substances

  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
  • LipL32 protein, Leptospira
  • Lipoproteins