Objectives
Recent studies show that cats could play an important role in the transmission of Leptospira species. There are few reports of leptospirosis on Prince Edward Island (PEI) and none in cats. ...The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of serum antibodies against Leptospira serovars and of Leptospira DNA in the urine of a population of free-roaming cats.
Methods
Paired blood and urine samples were collected from 200 cats brought to a trap–neuter–return program. Antibody titers against six Leptospira serovars (Bratislava, Canicola, Gryppotyphosa, Hardjo, Pomona, Icterohaemorrhagiae) were determined by microscopic agglutination test. PCR was performed on urine samples to identify urine shedding of Leptospira DNA.
Results
Antibodies were detected in 20/200 cats (10%) for at least one serovar, with titers ranging from 1:50 to 1:6400 (all serovars tested, except Hardjo). Urine samples of 7/200 cats (3.5%) were PCR-positive.
Conclusions and relevance
Feral cats in PEI had a higher than expected exposure to leptospirosis and can shed DNA from pathogenic Leptospira species in urine. Further studies are needed to determine the prevalence of exposure to leptospirosis in other species on PEI and the potential role of feral cats in transmission of the disease.
Recent advances in molecular genetics, such as the ability to construct defined mutants, have allowed the study of virulence factors and more generally the biology in Leptospira. However, pathogenic ...leptospires remain much less easily transformable than the saprophyte L. biflexa and further development and improvement of genetic tools are required. Here, we review tools that have been used to genetically manipulate Leptospira. We also describe the major advances achieved in both genomics and postgenomics technologies, including transcriptomics and proteomics.
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