Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease of world geographical distribution, affecting humans and animals. Generally, chronic infections are more frequent than the acute or subacute infections. In the large majority of the cases, the infections are asymptomatic. The chronic forms are dominated by abortions, interstitial nephritides and in certain species by infertility and uveitis. In the subacute forms, general symptoms are less intense and abortions frequent. Acute forms are characterized by septicaemias, hepatitises, nephritides and haemoglobinuries. Acute forms treatment must intervene in an early stage to be effective. Detection of pathogenic agent in biological samples (blood during septicaemia, tissues and urines for the chronic forms) allows an effective diagnostic approach. But direct observation is not very discriminating, isolation is difficult (sensitive germs).

Bacteriological diagnosis of leptospiroses is thus not very operational. Leptospires are divided into two species according to serology : Leptospira biflexa s.l. gathering saprophyte leptospira and Leptospira interrogans s.l. including different serogroups of pathogenic leptospira. This last specie is currently divided into several genomic species.

The genetic classification, wich is based on DNA/DNA homology, divides leptospiral strains into four non pathogenic species : L. biflexa, L. myeri, L. parva and L. wolbachii and seven pathogenic species : L. interrogans, L. borgpetersenii, L. weilii, L. nugochii, L. santarosai, L. inadai and L. kirschneri. Adiavet ®LEPTO PCR kit only detects the 7 pathogenic species.