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Helman SK, Tokuyama AFN, Mummah RO, Stone NE, Gamble MW, Snedden CE, Borremans B, Gomez ACR, Cox C, Nussbaum J, Tweedt I, Haake DA, Galloway RL, Monzón J, Riley SPD, Sikich JA, Brown J, Friscia A, Sahl JW, Wagner DM, Lynch JW, Prager KC, Lloyd-Smith JO. Pathogenic Leptospira are widespread in the urban wildlife of southern California. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14368. [PMID: 37658075 PMCID: PMC10474285 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40322-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Leptospirosis, the most widespread zoonotic disease in the world, is broadly understudied in multi-host wildlife systems. Knowledge gaps regarding Leptospira circulation in wildlife, particularly in densely populated areas, contribute to frequent misdiagnoses in humans and domestic animals. We assessed Leptospira prevalence levels and risk factors in five target wildlife species across the greater Los Angeles region: striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), raccoons (Procyon lotor), coyotes (Canis latrans), Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana), and fox squirrels (Sciurus niger). We sampled more than 960 individual animals, including over 700 from target species in the greater Los Angeles region, and an additional 266 sampled opportunistically from other California regions and species. In the five target species seroprevalences ranged from 5 to 60%, and infection prevalences ranged from 0.8 to 15.2% in all except fox squirrels (0%). Leptospira phylogenomics and patterns of serologic reactivity suggest that mainland terrestrial wildlife, particularly mesocarnivores, could be the source of repeated observed introductions of Leptospira into local marine and island ecosystems. Overall, we found evidence of widespread Leptospira exposure in wildlife across Los Angeles and surrounding regions. This indicates exposure risk for humans and domestic animals and highlights that this pathogen can circulate endemically in many wildlife species even in densely populated urban areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K Helman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Amanda F N Tokuyama
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Riley O Mummah
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nathan E Stone
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Mason W Gamble
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Celine E Snedden
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Benny Borremans
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Wildlife Health Ecology Research Organization, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Ana C R Gomez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Caitlin Cox
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Julianne Nussbaum
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Isobel Tweedt
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - David A Haake
- Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- The David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Javier Monzón
- Natural Science Division, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, USA
| | - Seth P D Riley
- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, National Park Service, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | - Jeff A Sikich
- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, National Park Service, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | - Justin Brown
- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, National Park Service, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | - Anthony Friscia
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jason W Sahl
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - David M Wagner
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Jessica W Lynch
- Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Katherine C Prager
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - James O Lloyd-Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Tazerji SS, Nardini R, Safdar M, Shehata AA, Duarte PM. An Overview of Anthropogenic Actions as Drivers for Emerging and Re-Emerging Zoonotic Diseases. Pathogens 2022; 11:1376. [PMID: 36422627 PMCID: PMC9692567 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11111376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Revised: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Population growth and industrialization have led to a race for greater food and supply productivity. As a result, the occupation and population of forest areas, contact with wildlife and their respective parasites and vectors, the trafficking and consumption of wildlife, the pollution of water sources, and the accumulation of waste occur more frequently. Concurrently, the agricultural and livestock production for human consumption has accelerated, often in a disorderly way, leading to the deforestation of areas that are essential for the planet's climatic and ecological balance. The effects of human actions on other ecosystems such as the marine ecosystem cause equally serious damage, such as the pollution of this habitat, and the reduction of the supply of fish and other animals, causing the coastal population to move to the continent. The sum of these factors leads to an increase in the demands such as housing, basic sanitation, and medical assistance, making these populations underserved and vulnerable to the effects of global warming and to the emergence of emerging and re-emerging diseases. In this article, we discuss the anthropic actions such as climate changes, urbanization, deforestation, the trafficking and eating of wild animals, as well as unsustainable agricultural intensification which are drivers for emerging and re-emerging of zoonotic pathogens such as viral (Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Hendravirus, Nipah virus, rabies, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus disease-2), bacterial (leptospirosis, Lyme borreliosis, and tuberculosis), parasitic (leishmaniasis) and fungal pathogens, which pose a substantial threat to the global community. Finally, we shed light on the urgent demand for the implementation of the One Health concept as a collaborative global approach to raise awareness and educate people about the science behind and the battle against zoonotic pathogens to mitigate the threat for both humans and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Salajegheh Tazerji
- Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran P.O. Box. 1477893855, Iran
- Young Researchers and Elites Club Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University; Tehran P.O. Box. 1477893855, Iran
| | - Roberto Nardini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, 00178 Rome, Italy
| | - Muhammad Safdar
- Department of Breeding and Genetics, Cholistan University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
| | - Awad A. Shehata
- Avian and Rabbit Diseases Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sadat City, Sadat City 32897, Egypt
- Research and Development Section, PerNaturam GmbH, 56290 Gödenroth, Germany
- Prophy-Institute for Applied Prophylaxis, 59159 Bönen, Germany
| | - Phelipe Magalhães Duarte
- Postgraduate Program in Animal Bioscience, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife, Pernambuco 52171-900, Brazil
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Smith AM, Stull JW, Moore GE. Potential Drivers for the Re-Emergence of Canine Leptospirosis in the United States and Canada. Trop Med Infect Dis 2022; 7:377. [PMID: 36422928 PMCID: PMC9694660 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed7110377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 09/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Canine leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease in many countries. This review examines potential drivers for increased diagnoses of canine leptospirosis in the United States and Canada, using the epidemiologic triad of agent-environment-host as a template. Leptospira spp. are classified into more than 250 serovars, but in many laboratories only 6 are routinely tested for in serologic agglutination tests of canine sera. Leptospiral infections in dogs may potentially go undetected with unemployed or currently employed diagnostic methods. Disease transmission from infected reservoir hosts usually occurs via urine-contaminated environmental sources such as water. Direct contact between infected and susceptible individuals, environmental factors such as climate changes in temperature and/or rainfall, and increasing number and urbanization of reservoir hosts may greatly increase dog exposure risks. A dog's lifestyle may influence exposure risk to leptospirosis, but vaccination based on proper identification of circulating serogroups dramatically reduces post-exposure infections. Regrettably, resistance to vaccination by veterinarians and dog owners leaves a large number of dogs at risk for this zoonotic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M. Smith
- College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Jason W. Stull
- College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE CIA 4P3, Canada
| | - George E. Moore
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
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