For the first time in Europe, veterinarians detect a bacteria with zoonotic potential in pigs from Austria

The Leptospiraceae constitute a diverse family of spirochete bacteria, many of which are implicated in infectious diseases of animals and humans. Of course, the local diversity of leptospires in domestic animals is usually poorly known. Now, a study, in which researchers from the Austrian University of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Amsterdam, among others, have participated, has isolated and characterized Leptospira licerasiae in Austrian pigs, being the first case reported in Europe. Specifically, this is an incidental detection of L. licerasiae in a suid from Austria. Thus, according to the researchers, during an experiment to characterize the pathogenesis of L. interrogans serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae in pigs, culture of a urine sample from an unaffected contact pig resulted in the growth of a spirochete bacteria that tested negative for Leptospira. pathogenic (LipL32 gene). “PCR, Sanger sequencing and standard serotyping further confirmed that the recovered isolate ...