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Leptospira transport medium (LTM): A practical tool for leptospires isolation
Israel Barbosa Guedes1, Katarine de Souza Rocha2, Manoel Pierre Negrão2
1Laboratório de Zoonoses Bacterianas, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Journal of Microbiological Methods
|June 29, 2020
Summary
Developing a new Leptospira Transport Medium (LTM) significantly improves the isolation of Leptospira bacteria from bovine urine. This practical method enhances leptospiral detection, especially in remote field conditions.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Microbiology
- Bacteriology
Background:
- Leptospira isolation from urine is difficult due to bacterial sensitivity and viability issues.
- Standard methods often yield low recovery rates and are impractical for field use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a simple, practical Leptospira Transport Medium (LTM) for isolating leptospires from bovine urine.
- To compare the efficacy of LTM with Fletcher's medium and 16S PCR for leptospiral detection.
Main Methods:
- A novel Leptospira Transport Medium (LTM) was formulated and tested with reference and autochthonous Leptospira strains.
- Field evaluation involved collecting 215 bovine urine samples, immediately seeding them into LTM and Fletcher's medium.
- Samples were transported to the lab within 10 days; 16S PCR was also performed directly on urine.
Main Results:
- LTM yielded 52 pure Leptospira isolates (24.2%), with low contamination (7.0%).
- Fletcher's medium resulted in only 10 isolates (4.6%).
- Direct 16S PCR detected Leptospira DNA in 31 samples (14.4%).
Conclusions:
- Leptospira Transport Medium (LTM) offers a significant improvement for isolating leptospires from bovine urine.
- LTM is practical for field use, particularly in remote areas lacking laboratory facilities.
- The medium can be prepared locally and distributed to field personnel for enhanced sample collection.
