First molecular evidence of Leptospira spp. in synanthropic rodents captured in Yucatan, Mexico

Abstract

Leptospira spp. is the causal agent of leptospirosis, an anthropozoonotic disease distributed worldwide. In Mexico, the disease is recognized as a human and livestock health problem. The synanthropic rodents Mus musculus and Rattus rattus constitute some of the most important reservoirs of the disease. The objective of this study was to use conventional PCR to investigate the condition of the agents of Leptospira spp. in M. musculus and R. rattus captured in a rural community in Yucatan, Mexico, and to identify the species involved in infection through sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. A total of 130 M. musculus and 57 R. rattus specimens were used. DNA was extracted from the kidney tissue and a PCR-based test was conducted, yielding a total positivity for Leptospira spp. of 4.81% (9/187). Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the PCR products identified the presence of the pathogenic species L. interrogans and L. kirschneri. This study presents the first molecular evidence of infection by Leptospira spp. in synanthropic rodents in Yucatan, Mexico.