Chapter 24
Leptospira and Leptospirosis
Mathieu Picardeau
Abstract
Leptospira spp. are morphologically and phylogenetically unique bacteria that are ubiquitous in the
environment. Pathogenic species are the agents of leptospirosis, an emerging zoonotic disease transmitted
to both human and animals from the environment contaminated with the urine of reservoir animals. The
taxonomy of Leptospira has recently undergone extensive revisions with the use of whole-genome
sequences, thus expanding considerably the number of species.
Key words Taxonomy, Virulence factors, Pathogenesis, Genome
1 General Features of Leptospira: An Atypical Bacteria
Leptospira spp. are long, thin, flexible rods, 0.1 μm in diameter, and
6–12 μm in length, with a helical cell shape and periplasmic flagella.
The envelope structure is similar to Gram-negative bacteria, and
the cell surface is covered with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) which
determine the antigenic diversity within the genus. Leptospires
are not stained by gram staining, and dark-field microscopy is
required for visualization of cells. Leptospira spp. are highly motile
aerobic or microaerophilic bacteria. They use long-chain fatty acids
as primary carbon and energy sources. In Ellinghausen-McCullough-Johnson-Harris (EMJH) culture medium, the optimum
growth temperature is 28–30
C, with a generation time of
6–20 h. Growth on solid agar medium results in the formation of
subsurface colonies. Leptospira spp. comprise free-living saprophytes that are well adapted to soils and aquatic, but not marine,
environments and pathogens that cause the disease leptospirosis in
both human and animals. Animal reservoirs of pathogens consist of
domesticated and wild mammalian hosts. Long-term survival of
pathogens in water has also been described [1, 2].
Nobuo Koizumi and Mathieu Picardeau (eds.), Leptospira spp.: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 2134,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0459-5_24, © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
271
Leptospira and Leptospirosis
Mathieu Picardeau
Abstract
Leptospira spp. are morphologically and phylogenetically unique bacteria that are ubiquitous in the
environment. Pathogenic species are the agents of leptospirosis, an emerging zoonotic disease transmitted
to both human and animals from the environment contaminated with the urine of reservoir animals. The
taxonomy of Leptospira has recently undergone extensive revisions with the use of whole-genome
sequences, thus expanding considerably the number of species.
Key words Taxonomy, Virulence factors, Pathogenesis, Genome
1 General Features of Leptospira: An Atypical Bacteria
Leptospira spp. are long, thin, flexible rods, 0.1 μm in diameter, and
6–12 μm in length, with a helical cell shape and periplasmic flagella.
The envelope structure is similar to Gram-negative bacteria, and
the cell surface is covered with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) which
determine the antigenic diversity within the genus. Leptospires
are not stained by gram staining, and dark-field microscopy is
required for visualization of cells. Leptospira spp. are highly motile
aerobic or microaerophilic bacteria. They use long-chain fatty acids
as primary carbon and energy sources. In Ellinghausen-McCullough-Johnson-Harris (EMJH) culture medium, the optimum
growth temperature is 28–30
C, with a generation time of
6–20 h. Growth on solid agar medium results in the formation of
subsurface colonies. Leptospira spp. comprise free-living saprophytes that are well adapted to soils and aquatic, but not marine,
environments and pathogens that cause the disease leptospirosis in
both human and animals. Animal reservoirs of pathogens consist of
domesticated and wild mammalian hosts. Long-term survival of
pathogens in water has also been described [1, 2].
Nobuo Koizumi and Mathieu Picardeau (eds.), Leptospira spp.: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 2134,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0459-5_24, © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
271