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Pathogens
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Leptospira and Leptospirosis: Molecular Pathogenesis and Virulence
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Leptospira and Leptospirosis: Molecular Pathogenesis and Virulence

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Bacterial Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2022) | Viewed by 10258

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Sreekumari Rajeev

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, 2407 River Drive Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
Dr. Alejandro Llanes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), Building 208, City of Knowledge, Clayton, Panama City, Panama

Special Issue Information

Leptospirosis, caused by numerous pathogenic strains of spirochete bacteria Leptospira, is a leading zoonotic cause of human morbidity and mortality occurring in diverse epidemiologic settings. It is a significant public health, an economically important animal health problem, and a perfect paradigm for a disease of one-health importance. Fatal and life-threatening cases of leptospirosis are on the rise globally, yet, critical knowledge regarding mechanisms of host/pathogen/environment interaction leading to disease, protection and reservoir status is urgently needed to advance the comprehension of bacterial pathogenesis and contribute to the future development in mitigation strategies.

This special issue welcomes research papers focused on pathogenesis and virulence of Leptospira. Potential topics include, but are not limited to Leptospira genome structure and evolution, genetic factors determining susceptibility to infection (host preference, host/reservoir status), one- and two-component regulatory systems (TCSs), families of virulence factors (flagellar proteins, outer membrane lipoproteins and lecine-rich repeat proteins), protein secretion and extracellular proteases, immune response to Leptospira infection and traditional and high-throughput experimental methods to discover novel virulence factors.

Prof. Dr. Sreekumari Rajeev
Dr. Alejandro Llanes
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Leptospira genomics
  • Molecular pathogenesis
  • Host/reservoir status
  • Genetic determinants of virulence
  • Families of virulence factors
  • Regulatory systems
  • Immune response to infection
  • Discovery of novel virulence factors

Published Papers (4 papers)

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16 pages, 2977 KiB  
Article
Integrated Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of Acute Kidney Injury Caused by Leptospira Infection
by Kuan-Hsing Chen, Li-Fang Chou, Cheng-Chieh Hung, Hsiang-Yu Tang, Mei-Ling Cheng, Huang-Yu Yang, Hsiang-Hao Hsu, Ya-Chung Tian and Chih-Wei Yang
Pathogens 2022, 11(7), 764; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pathogens11070764 - 04 Jul 2022
Viewed by 1496
Abstract
Renal leptospirosis caused by leptospiral infection is characterised by tubulointerstitial nephritis and tubular dysfunction, resulting in acute and chronic kidney injury. Metabolomic and transcriptomic data from a murine model of Leptospira infection were analysed to determine whether metabolomic data from urine were associated [...] Read more.
Renal leptospirosis caused by leptospiral infection is characterised by tubulointerstitial nephritis and tubular dysfunction, resulting in acute and chronic kidney injury. Metabolomic and transcriptomic data from a murine model of Leptospira infection were analysed to determine whether metabolomic data from urine were associated with transcriptome changes relevant to kidney injury caused by Leptospira infection. Our findings revealed that 37 metabolites from the urine of L. interrogans-infected mice had significantly different concentrations than L. biflexa-infected and non-infected control mice. Of these, urinary L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine levels were remarkably elevated in L. interrogans-infected mice. Using an integrated pathway analysis, we found that L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine were involved in metabolic pathways such as fatty acid activation, the mitochondrial L-carnitine shuttle pathway, and triacylglycerol biosynthesis that were enriched in the renal tissues of the L. interrogans-infected mice. This study highlights that L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine are implicated in leptospiral infection-induced kidney injury, suggesting their potential as metabolic modulators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Leptospira and Leptospirosis: Molecular Pathogenesis and Virulence)
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15 pages, 1753 KiB  
Article
Regional Prevalence of Intermediate Leptospira spp. in Humans: A Meta-Analysis
by Aina Nadheera Abd Rahman, Nurul Husna Hasnul Hadi, Zhong Sun, Karuppiah Thilakavathy and Narcisse Joseph
Pathogens 2021, 10(8), 943; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pathogens10080943 - 27 Jul 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2530
Abstract
Leptospirosis is one of the most widespread bacterial diseases caused by pathogenic Leptospira. There are broad clinical manifestations due to varied pathogenicity of Leptospira spp., which can be classified into three clusters such as pathogenic, intermediate, and saprophytic. Intermediate Leptospira spp. can [...] Read more.
Leptospirosis is one of the most widespread bacterial diseases caused by pathogenic Leptospira. There are broad clinical manifestations due to varied pathogenicity of Leptospira spp., which can be classified into three clusters such as pathogenic, intermediate, and saprophytic. Intermediate Leptospira spp. can either be pathogenic or non-pathogenic and they have been reported to cause mild to severe forms of leptospirosis in several studies, contributing to the disease burden. Hence, this study aimed to estimate the global prevalence of intermediate Leptospira spp. in humans using meta-analysis with region-wise stratification. The articles were searched from three databases which include PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. Seven studies were included consisting of two regions based on United Nations geo-scheme regions, among 469 records identified. Statistical analysis was performed using RevMan software. The overall prevalence estimate of intermediate Leptospira spp. in humans was 86% and the pooled prevalences were 96% and 17% for the American and Asia regions, respectively. The data also revealed that Leptospira wolffii was the most predominantly found compared to the other intermediate species identified from the included studies, which were Leptospira inadai and Leptospira broomii. The estimated prevalence data from this study could be used to develop better control and intervention strategies in combating human leptospirosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Leptospira and Leptospirosis: Molecular Pathogenesis and Virulence)
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18 pages, 5468 KiB  
Article
Extracellular Proteome Analysis Shows the Abundance of Histidine Kinase Sensor Protein, DNA Helicase, Putative Lipoprotein Containing Peptidase M75 Domain and Peptidase C39 Domain Protein in Leptospira interrogans Grown in EMJH Medium
by Abhijit Sarma, Dhandapani Gunasekaran, Devasahayam Arokia Balaya Rex, Thoduvayil Sikha, Homen Phukan, Kumar Mangalaparthi Kiran, Sneha M. Pinto, Thottethodi Subrahmanya Keshava Prasad and Madathiparambil G. Madanan
Pathogens 2021, 10(7), 852; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pathogens10070852 - 06 Jul 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3164
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a re-emerging form of zoonosis that is caused by the spirochete pathogen Leptospira. Extracellular proteins play critical roles in the pathogenicity and survival of this pathogen in the host and environment. Extraction and analysis of extracellular proteins is a difficult [...] Read more.
Leptospirosis is a re-emerging form of zoonosis that is caused by the spirochete pathogen Leptospira. Extracellular proteins play critical roles in the pathogenicity and survival of this pathogen in the host and environment. Extraction and analysis of extracellular proteins is a difficult task due to the abundance of enrichments like serum and bovine serum albumin in the culture medium, as is distinguishing them from the cellular proteins that may reach the analyte during extraction. In this study, extracellular proteins were separated as secretory proteins from the culture supernatant and surface proteins were separated during the washing of the cell pellet. The proteins identified were sorted based on the proportion of the cellular fractions and the extracellular fractions. The results showed the identification of 56 extracellular proteins, out of which 19 were exclusively extracellular. For those proteins, the difference in quantity with respect to their presence within the cell was found to be up to 1770-fold. Further, bioinformatics analysis elucidated characteristics and functions of the identified proteins. Orthologs of extracellular proteins in various Leptospira species were found to be closely related among different pathogenic forms. In addition to the identification of extracellular proteins, this study put forward a method for the extraction and identification of extracellular proteins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Leptospira and Leptospirosis: Molecular Pathogenesis and Virulence)
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7 pages, 588 KiB  
Case Report
Isolation of Leptospira interrogans Serovar Canicola in a Vaccinated Dog without Clinical Symptoms
by Ivana Piredda, Sara Sechi, Raffaella Cocco, Loris Bertoldi, Bruna Palmas and Valentina Chisu
Pathogens 2022, 11(4), 406; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pathogens11040406 - 27 Mar 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1762
Abstract
More than one million cases of leptospirosis occur across the globe annually, resulting in about 59,000 deaths. Dogs are one of the most important reservoirs of Leptospira species and play an important role in transmitting the pathogen to humans. Many of these infections [...] Read more.
More than one million cases of leptospirosis occur across the globe annually, resulting in about 59,000 deaths. Dogs are one of the most important reservoirs of Leptospira species and play an important role in transmitting the pathogen to humans. Many of these infections are controlled by routine vaccination that has reduced the possible reintroduction of leptospiral serovars into the human population. However, it is still not clear how a vaccinated dog can become infected with one or more Leptospira serovars contained in the vaccine formulation and thus against which it should be immunized. Here, we present the case of an asymptomatic dog who developed leptospiral infection despite being vaccinated. This unusual case emphasizes the substantial impact of immunization on mitigating the acute signs of the disease, even while providing limited protection against infection. Further studies will be required to better understand the role of dogs in the environmental circulation of leptospiral serovars in Sardinia. Asymptomatic leptospiral infection in vaccinated dogs should be considered to allow for better diagnosis and management of the infection. This will be essential for preventing Leptospira outbreaks in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Leptospira and Leptospirosis: Molecular Pathogenesis and Virulence)
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