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A single multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for seven pathogenic Leptospira species

Siriphan Boonsilp1, Janjira Thaipadungpanit, Premjit Amornchai

  • 1Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases
|January 30, 2013
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

A new multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme expands Leptospira characterization to seven species. This improved method accurately identifies species and aids in understanding leptospirosis epidemiology.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • The existing Leptospira multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme is limited to two pathogenic species.
  • There is a need to expand the MLST scheme to cover more pathogenic Leptospira species.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To broaden the utility of the MLST scheme to include seven major pathogenic Leptospira species.
  • To develop a robust MLST scheme for accurate species identification and phylogenetic analysis of Leptospira.

Main Methods:

  • Modified the existing MLST scheme by replacing the fadD locus with caiB.
  • Applied the modified scheme to characterize 325 Leptospira isolates from seven species.
  • Performed phylogenetic analysis using concatenated sequences of the seven MLST loci.

Main Results:

  • The modified MLST scheme demonstrated comparable discriminatory power to the original scheme.
  • Phylogenetic analysis confirmed distinct clades for each of the seven species, with no misclassifications.
  • Analysis revealed complex relationships between sequence types and serovars, with 18 sequence types encompassing multiple serovars and 14 serovars containing multiple sequence types.

Conclusions:

  • The developed MLST scheme effectively characterizes and assigns species to isolates of seven major pathogenic Leptospira species.
  • The updated MLST scheme, supported by a website, facilitates Leptospira identification and epidemiological studies.
  • The study provided new insights into the global phylogeography of Leptospira and the utility of MLST in linking human disease to specific hosts.

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