A study of leptospirosis among animals in Barbados W.I.

Microscopic agglutination tests performed during 1971 and 1972 on Barbadian livestock showed positive serological reactions for leptospirosis as follows: cattle 51%, pigs 13%, sheep 18%, horses 64% and goats 19%. The serogroup Autumnalis predominated in all but horses in which the reactions to the Pyrogenes group appeared slightly higher. After the isolation of a strain of Leptospira serotype fort-bragg (Barbadian strain No. 119) of the Autumnalis serogroup in 1973, and its subsequent inclusion in our test battery of leptospiral antigens, high percentages of cattle, dogs, mongooses and man showed sero-positive reactions against the strain. Attention is called to the wide dissemination of the fort-bragg serotype on the island and to the role of rodents and the mongoose in its spread. 74 clinically affected Barbadian cattle from three herds were studied during 1975-76; 60 (81%) were serologically positive and nine different serogroups were represented. Predominant sero-positive reactions to Hebdomadis, Autumnalis, Ballum and Pyrogenes antigens were recorded. The highest titres were against Autumnalis, Hebdomadis and Pomona. Hebdomadis and Pomona serogroup antibodies may be due to many importations of cattle with those infections into Barbados.     

Leptospirosis in Trinidad and Grenada, with special reference to the mongoose.

In Trinidad, six Leptospira isolates were made from 957 febrile patients between 1968 amd 1972. In addition, CF antibodies were detected in 6-6% of febrile patients and human survey sera collected during this period. In 1972 alone, 10-4% (38/363) of sera examined had CF titres consistent with positive exposure to the disease. Grenada does not report leptospirosis, but the disease is common in mongooses in both Trinidad and Grenada. Serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pomona and Canicola are present in Grenada with 35-2% of mongooses examined being seropositive. Five Canicola strains of Leptospira were isolated from mongooses in Trinidad and serological studies showed that this was the most common serogroup from mongooses on the island. A total of 31 strains recorded from at least seven different serogroups and eight named serotypes have been isolated from humans, rats and mongooses in Trinidad. Human leptospirosis is probably more common in the Caribbean than the medical records indicate.     

A survey of leptospirosis in febrile patients mainly from hospitals and clinics in Trinidad

Acute and convalescent sera were obtained from 202 febrile patients, most of whom were admitted to or attended hospitals or clinics in northern Trinidad during the 12 months from mid-February 1977 to mid-February 1978. Laboratory tests confirmed that 10 of the patients were suffering from current leptospirosis while another 54 had serological evidence of previous leptospiral infections.Antibodies to strains of the Icterohaemorrhagiae serogroup were most commonly found, followed by those to the Hebdomadis and Autumnalis serogroups.Isolates were obtained from the blood of two and the urine of three of the 10 current cases. Four of these strains were identified as belonging to copenhageni serovar of the Icterohaemorrhagiae serogroup and one to serovar brasiliensis of the Bataviae serogroup.Seven of the patients suffering from leptospirosis were males, all rural dwellers, and all except one under 20 years of age. Two of the three female patients were over 60 years old and were urban dwellers. It was not possible to identify the sources of infection with certainty, although dogs may have been responsible for three of the Icterohaemorrhagiae and one of the Canicola infections.Of the 192 patients who were not currently infected, serological evidence of previous infection was obtained in 31 (40%) males and 23 (21%) females and was most common among farmers and rural workers.     

A serosurvey for leptospirosis in Trinidad among urban and rural dwellers and persons occupationally at risk

A survey for leptospiral antibodies was made of 1,375 persons in northern Trinidad between mid-1977 and mid-1978. The subjects were employees in seven occupational categories thought to entail a high risk of exposure to leptospires, and members of the general population of three rural and two urban communities. They were questioned inter alia about their leisure and occupational activities, household water supply and effluent, and contact with animals. Leptospiral infection was found to be widespread in the general population but not primarily associated with employment. Among the occupational groups the highest prevalence of antibodies was found in sugar-cane workers (45% infected), while among the communities prevalence was highest in the rural village of Cacandee (37%) and lowest in Woodbrook (Port-of-Spain) (5%). Keeping cattle, hunting and walking barefoot in the countryside were significantly associated with leptospiral serology. Over-all, serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae and Autumnalis each accounted for about 25% of the seropositives in the general population. Among the occupational groups Autumnalis was the most commonly found (36%). It accounted for 42% of the seropositive sugar-cane workers and 57% of the seropositive rice farmers.     

1993—2000年四川省钩端螺旋体菌群分布

目的：分析、研究四川省钩端螺旋体（下称钩体）菌群分布,掌握菌群动态,为钩体病的科研和防制提供科学依据。为钩体菌苗生产提供流行菌株。方法：按全国本病监测方案,从病人和带菌动物中分离钩体,按中国药品生物制品检定所的钩体菌种检定程序进行检定,结果324株钩体分属8个血清群。即黄疸出血、七日热、秋季、澳州、流感伤寒、波摩那、犬、爪哇群。另从水牛尿中首次检出七日热群钩体2株。结论：黄疸出血群钩体仍为四川省人间钩体病流行和啮齿食虫目动物携带的主要菌群,占81．48％。趴齿食虫目仍为主要宿主动物,尤以黑线姬鼠为四川稻本病主要传染源,水牛是七日热群钩体病的重要传染源和宿主动物之一。     

江西省耕牛钩端螺旋体血清流行病学调查

目的了解江西省耕牛自然感染钩端螺旋体（钩体）菌群状况，为钩体病防治提供科学依据。方法对江西省4个县部分耕牛血清进行显微镜凝集试验。结果共采集耕牛血清样本206份，检出阳性33份，阳性率16．02％。此次共检出12个群钩体血清抗体，分群阳性率以黄疸出血群最高，为6．80％，其次为犬群、七日热群均为3．40％。耕牛血清标本的几何平均滴度（GMT）以黄疸出血群、犬群、七日热群最高，均为1：53．70。结论通过本次调查发现，耕牛自然感染率及GMT均较低，但感染的主要菌群毒力强，一旦流行条件成熟，其作为传染源的作用不可忽视。     

Leptospirosis in patients from Grenada, West Indies.

Evidence of leptospirosis in humans from Grenada, W.I., is reported here for the first time. Of 139 hospital patients with pyrexia of undetermined origin, 94 were jaundiced, and 16 (17%) of these were positive for hepatitis B antigen (HBsAg) and not examined further. 20 of the remaining 123 (16%) febrile patients were positive for leptospiral antibodies; 11 of them were current or recent cases. 25 of 182 (14%) afebrile out-patients showed evidence of previous exposure to leptospiral organisms. The most frequently encountered serogroups in the 45 seropositive in- and out-patients were Icterohaemorrhagiae (38%), Panama (24%) and Canicola (11%).     

Multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis of Leptospira interrogans and Leptospira borgpetersenii isolated from small feral and wild mammals in East Asia

Leptospira spp. are the causative agents of a worldwide zoonosis, leptospirosis, maintained by various mammals. Each Leptospira serovar is frequently associated with a particular maintenance host, and recently, Leptospira genotype–host association has also been suggested to limit serovars to restricted areas. We investigated the molecular characteristics of L. interrogans and L. borgpetersenii which were isolated from small feral and wild animals in four East Asian states using multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA).MLVA using 11 loci was performed on 110 L. interrogans serogroups from Japan (79 strains of 5 serogroups from 3 animal species), Philippines (21; 3; 2), Taiwan (7; 2; 3), and Vietnam (3; 1; 1). A MLVA method using 4 loci for L. borgpetersenii was established and performed on 52 isolates from Japan (26; 3; 7), Philippines (13; 1; 2), and Taiwan (13; 1; 3). In L. interrogans, serogroups Autumnalis and Hebdomadis appeared more genetically diverse than serogroups Bataviae, Grippotyphosa, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pomona, or Pyrogenes. The former serogroup strains with the exception of one Hebdomadis strain were isolated from Apodemus speciosus while all the latter serogroup strains with the exception of Grippotyphosa were isolated from Rattus norvegicus. L. borgpetersenii was isolated from at least 11 animal species while L. interrogans was isolated from five species, which might suggest a wider host range for L. borgpetersenii. Broad host preference in a single genotype was also observed, which colonized not only different species of the same genera but also multiple animal genera.This study demonstrates that there may be variability in the range of genetic diversity among different Leptospira serogroups, which may be attributed to maintenance host animals and environmental factors.     

海南省钩端螺旋体病血清流行病学调查

笔者１９９３年从海南省９个市县中１０个乡或家场采集健康人血清５２９份检测钩端螺旋体抗体，结果２７４人阳性，各地自然感染率从２５．９％－７２．２％不等。感染与性别无关，而与年龄，职业密切相关。感染者含１５种钩体血清抗体，其中以巴达维亚群、流感伤寒群和黄疸出血群为优势血清群；而７０年代则以流感伤寒群和秋季热群为主。     

Serogroups of thermophilic campylobacters from humans and from non-human sources, Israel 1982-1985

The distribution of serogroups of thermophilic campylobacters isolated in Israel from human patients (2421 isolates), chicken (942), turkeys (158), cattle (398), wild birds (234) and other sources, was studied. Among the human isolates, 74 ROG-serogroups were identified. The six most commonly isolated of these (1, 18; 11; 12; 8,23; 4 and 5,39) were found frequently in chickens. Only four common serogroups in man were also common in cattle, three in turkeys and two in wild birds. Two common serogroups in man (1,18 and 5,39) were prevalent all over the country, while others were regionally distributed. When the prevalence of different serogroups in Israel was compared to that in Canada, some groups were common to both countries and others were common in only one or the other. Campylobacter jejuni accounted for 86.7% to 92.1% of the isolates from man, chickens, turkeys, cattle and most of the wild birds. C. coli was found in 34.4% of isolates from cattle egrets and in 76.5% of those from pigs.     

Human leptospirosis in the Mekong delta, Viet Nam.

To estimate the seroprevalence of human leptospirosis in the Mekong delta in Viet Nam, an epidemiological survey was conducted in the province of Tien Giang, which is representative of the socioeconomic activities of the region (rice growing and cattle breeding). A cross-sectional study included 35 clusters representing 1400 people randomly selected and aged 15-60 years. Sex, age, occupation, contact with animals, type of water supply, and individual habits were recorded. Leptospiral agglutinins were detected by the microagglutination test, with a battery of 22 live antigens representing the main pathogenic serogroups of Leptospira species and additional local strains. 263 sera (18.8%) gave positive results and 41 (2.9%) had a titre of agglutinins > or = 400, suggesting recent infection. No significant difference was found between females and males. The distribution of seroprevalence was homogeneous throughout the population studied, with the exception of the 15-25 years age group, in which leptospiral antibodies were less frequent. Fifteen serogroups were found, the most prevalent being Bataviae (21.7%), Panama (15.2%), Icterohaemorrhagiae (13.7%) and Australis (8.7%). No significant link between leptospiral seropositivity and professional activities or contacts with animals was found, indicating that leptospirosis in the Mekong delta may be considered as an environmentally linked disease. Leptospirosis is known to be endemic in south-east Asia, and these data demonstrated the high level of circulation of leptospires and the potential importance of leptospiral infections among the rural population in this area.     

皖南山区1990~2000年钩端螺旋体病监测

目的　掌握皖南山区钩体病的流行规律和疫情发展趋势。方法　分析流行病学、血清学 (MAT)、病原学。结果　皖南山区是我省钩体病重疫区 ,病例数占近十年总数 92 .90 % ,且疫情稳定 ,季节明显 ,是典型的稻田型钩体病疫区。从宿主动物和传染源分离的钩端螺旋体分属 8群 9型 ,鼠肾PCR检测感染率为1 1 .67% (1 4 / 1 2 0 )。黄山区鼠血清学分属 3群 4型 ,并从黑线姬鼠肾中首次分获钩体棉兰型一株。牛血清检测感染率为 3661 .2 9%分属 8群 9型 ,其中赛罗群占 33 .31 4 2 .1 1 %。自然人群MAT总感染率为 2 1 .2 4 %分属 7群 7型 ,其中赛罗群占 42 .70 % ,黄疸出血群仅为 1 9.1 0 %。而 1 992年之前自然人群血清学分属 7群 ,其中黄疸出血群占 2 2 .75 % ,犬和七日热群各占 1 7.96 % ,病人血清检测结果 91 .80 %为黄疸出血群。结论　皖南山区钩体病菌型出现更迭 ,为制定防治对策提供科学依据     

福建省2012年钩端螺旋体病监测和感染菌群分析

目的 掌握福建省钩端螺旋体（钩体）感染菌群,为防治工作提供科学依据。方法 根据全省疫情选取调查点,采集鼠、猪、青蛙的血或肾、尿标本进行钩体培养,采集人、鼠血清测定抗体,分析钩体感染情况和感染菌群。结果 宿主动物调查显示,鼠密度为5.83%,以黄毛鼠、黄胸鼠和针毛鼠为主,分别占29.87%、28.19%和17.11%,首次从长泰县白腹巨鼠分离出钩体。鼠血清钩体抗体阳性率为11.04%,主要感染菌群为秋季群、澳洲群和流感伤寒群,健康人群钩体抗体阳性率为8.25%,感染菌群以秋季群、致热群、七日热群和澳洲群为主。结论 福建省鼠类和人群感染钩体菌群复杂,应切实做好钩体病的监测工作。     

1958~1987年四川省钩端螺旋体血清群型分布

本文概括了四川省1958~1987年间钩端螺旋体(下称钩体)血清群型分布。7 560株钩体病人株和动物株分属16群35型。病人间以黄疽出血群赖型(Lai)为主要血清群型,一般较稳定,仅少数地区不同年度曾出现主要血清群更迭。带菌动物虽然复杂,以啮齿食虫类及家畜为主要宿主动物,前者主要携带黄疽出血群,后者主要携带波蒙那群。其中尤以黑线姬鼠为我省鼠类中优势种,携带钩体与人间主要流行群型一致,系四川省钩体病主要传染源。另对主要菌群更迭原因、蛙作为七日热钩体病传染源的意义进行了讨论。     

岳麓区大肠埃希菌O157:H7宿主动物带菌情况初步调查

目的初步调查湖南省长沙市岳麓地区不同乡镇大肠埃希菌O157:H7宿主动物带菌情况,为制定防治措施提供科学依据。方法于2010年11月采集长沙市岳麓区境内散养的鸡、鸭、猪、牛等家畜家禽粪便标本33份,按国标常规培养法检测大肠埃希菌O157:H7,并对数据进行统计分析。结果 33份标本中共检出阳性标本4份,总阳性率为12.1%(4/33),其中散养的鸡的粪便中大肠埃希菌O157:H7阳性检出率为13.6%(3/22);在4份散养的鸭子粪便中,检出1份阳性。结论长沙市岳麓地区已存在大肠埃希菌O157:H7感染,应引起足够重视。     

山东省烟台市人与动物新型布尼亚病毒感染调查及同源性分析

目的 了解山东省烟台市人和动物发热伴血小板减少综合征布尼亚病毒 （SFTSV）感染及流行情况。方法 2011年4－11月分别在烟台市的蓬莱和莱州2个SFTS病例高发地区连续采集与人密切接触的5种家养动物 （羊、 牛、 猪、 犬、 鸡） 血清标本3 576份,应用双抗原夹心ELISA方法和Real time RT-PCR方法检测血清中SFTSV总抗体和病毒核酸; 观察不同月份感染情况; 采集两地人群血清2 590份,应用间接ELISA方法检测SFTSV IgG抗体; 用Vero细胞从核酸阳性的人和动物血清中分离病毒,通过RT-PCR方法对 SFTSV S片段进行序列扩增、 同源性分析。结果 3 576份动物血清标本中SFTSV血清总抗体阳性1 439份,阳性率为40.24%,病毒核酸阳性163份,阳性率为4.56%。其中羊、 牛、 鸡、 犬、 猪抗体阳性率分别为62.78%、 52.97%、 45.56%、28.73%和1.45%,核酸阳性率分别为5.72%、 4.63%、 3.02%、 5.25%和3.73%。动物体内的抗原抗体随季节消长而变化。2 590份人群血清SFTSV IgG抗体阳性率为5.41%。对10株来自人的毒株和3株来自动物的毒株进行S片段基因序列扩增分析,显示其同源性在95.23%～100.00%,与国内其他省市分离毒株比较,其同源性在94.72%～99.13%,高度同源。结论 烟台地区存在SFTSV流行,人与家养动物普遍易感,其基因序列高度同源,提示家养动物可能作为SFTSV的增殖宿主和扩散宿主,应引起高度重视。     

戊肝病毒(HEV)在猪和牛群中的流行病学研究

目的 探讨戊型肝炎病毒（HEV）在猪和牛群中的感染情况。方法 用抗－HEV抗体试剂盒检测猪和牛血清中的抗体；对部分血清用逆转录聚合酶链的方法（RT－PCR）检测HEV RNA，并对PCR阳性产物进行克隆，然后将序列进行分析。结果 281份猪血清中有235份为抗－HEV抗体阳性，阳性率为83.6%；其中56份血清中有3份为HEV RNA阳性，序列分析显示从猪中克隆的3株序列（SB2、SH1和SJ14）之间在ORF2（6007－6354bp）区域的核甙酸序列的同源性为83％－86％，该3株序列在ORF2区与1，2，3，4型的同源性分别为74％－79％、73％－77％，73％－76％和83％－93％；190份牛血清中有12份为抗－HEV抗体阳性，阳性率为6.3%。结论 HEV在猪和牛群中均有流行，但在猪群中的流行率明显高于牛群，猪感染的HEV的基因序列与人群中散发性戊型肝炎病毒的4型同源性最高。     

Differentiation of convalescent animals from those vaccinated against foot-and-mouth disease by a peptide ELISA

We have identified continuous antigenic determinants within the amino acid sequences of the conserved nonstructural region containing proteins 2C and 3ABC of foot-and-mouth disease virus which can distinguish between the sera from vaccinated and infected animals. An ELISA based on a 3B peptide gave a positive reaction with sera from cattle, pigs, sheep and guinea pigs infected with all seven serotypes of the virus, but not with sera from vaccinated animals. In experiments with cattle and pigs to determine the duration of the antibody response, positive reactions were obtained as late as one year after infection. The advantages of using peptides from the nonstructural viral proteins instead of recombinant proteins for differentiating vaccinees from infected animals include their exquisite specificity, nonreactivity with antibodies against host cell-derived proteins (e.g. E. coli and insect cell proteins), and their ease of preparation.     

Leptospiral infection in school-children from Trinidad and Barbados

A serological survey for leptospiral agglutinins was undertaken between 1980 and 1983 in over 500 Barbadian and 500 Trinidadian school-children aged 7-14 years. The children were selected randomly from urban and rural schools, and examined three times at approximately annual intervals. A total of 12.5% of the Barbadian children and 9.5% of the Trinidadian children were seropositive at a titre of 50 using the microscopic agglutination test. On both islands, seroprevalence was higher in males than females, the difference being significant in rural schools. There was no evidence of a difference in prevalence between urban and rural schools, or between junior and secondary age-ranges. Analysis of the association of serology with socio-economic and behavioural factors showed a significant association in Trinidad with father's occupation, but most other variables on both islands showed only weak non-significant associations. Fourteen children in Trinidad and three in Barbados seroconverted. Seroconversion in Trinidad occurred at a rate of 1.6% per annum and was significantly associated with livestock contact and with absence of a tapped water supply. In Trinidad, Autumnalis was the most commonly recorded serogroup, but this accounted for less than a quarter of seropositives. In Barbados, Panama accounted for over half the seropositives and was about four times more common than the next most common serogroup, Autumnalis. In Barbados, 39 persons aged 19 or less were hospitalized with leptospirosis between November 1979 and December 1986. Average annual incidence rates were 2.2, 4.9 and 13.3 per 100,000 in the 5-9, 10-14 and 15-19 age-groups, respectively.     

Seroepidemiology and genetic characterization of hepatitis E virus in the northeast of china

The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of infection and genotype of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in people and animals in the northeast of China (Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces). This seroepidemiological study was conducted using enzyme immunoassays and human sera positive for HEV antigen or anti-HEV IgM, and animal sera positive for HEV antigen or with an S/CO ≤10 for anti-HEV were tested for HEV RNA using real-time RT-PCR and nested RT-PCR. In humans, the overall prevalence of anti-HEV IgG was 31.6% (311/985), 28.6% (147/514) and 21.1% (841/3994) in individuals frequent, infrequent, and very rare contact with swine, respectively. The overall prevalence of anti-HEV was 81.6% (1737/2127) in pigs above 3 months of age, 66.4% (1644/2473) in pigs below 3 months of age, 18.7% (301/1612) in cattle and 12.4% (162/1302) in sheep. 1211 samples were tested for HEV RNA using real-time RT-PCR and 71 were positive. 30 of the 71 samples also were positive for HEV RNA using nested RT-PCR. These 30 isolates shared 81.2–100% sequence identity with each other at the nucleotide level and belonged to HEV genotype 4, regardless whether from human or animals. The results indicate that HEV infection is widely spread in the northeast of China. The prevalence of anti-HEV in individuals with frequent contact with pigs was significantly higher than those without and the HEV sequences isolated from such individuals were related more closely to isolates from pigs. These support strongly the hypothesis of a zoonotic origin of hepatitis E.