Mixed Leptospira Infections in a Diverse Reservoir Host Community, Madagascar, 2013–2015

Mark Moseley (1) , Soanandrasana Rahelinirina (2) , Minoarisoa Rajerison (2) , Benoit Garin (2, 3) , Stuart Piertney (1) , Sandra Telfer (1)

1 University of Aberdeen
2 Institut Pasteur de Madagascar
3 CHU Pointe-à-Pitre/Abymes [Guadeloupe]

We identified mixed infections of pathogenic Leptospira in small mammals across a landscape-scale study area in Madagascar by using primers targeting different Leptospira spp. Using targeted primers increased prevalence estimates and evidence for transmission between endemic and invasive hosts. Future studies should assess rodentborne transmission of Leptospira to humans.

Keywords: Madagascar; bacteria; co-infections; disease ecology; introduced species; invasive; maintenance hosts; molecular epidemiology; neglected tropical diseases; public health; reservoir hosts; spillover; zoonoses; Leptospira

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]; Human health and pathology; Emerging diseases

Mark Moseley, Soanandrasana Rahelinirina, Minoarisoa Rajerison, Benoit Garin, Stuart Piertney, et al.. Mixed Leptospira Infections in a Diverse Reservoir Host Community, Madagascar, 2013–2015. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2018, 24 (6), pp.1138 - 1140. ⟨10.3201/eid2406.180035⟩. ⟨pasteur-01918931⟩