Detection of Leptospira kmetyi at recreational areas in Peninsular Malaysia
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Detection of Leptospira kmetyi at recreational areas in Peninsular Malaysia Aznida Mohamad Zaki & Rozita Hod & Nadia Aqilla Shamsusah & Zaleha Md Isa & Siti Khairani Bejo & Hani Kartini Agustar
Received: 18 April 2020 / Accepted: 24 September 2020 # Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract Humans can be infected by pathogenic Leptospira through contact with infected animals or contaminated environments. Recreational exposure has been associated with human leptospirosis; however, there is a lack of information on the distribution of Leptospira spp. in recreational areas. Thus, we conducted this study to detect and describe the distributions of Leptospira spp. and to determine the prevalence of pathogenic leptospires at recreational areas in Peninsular Malaysia. Soil and water samples were randomly collected from 33 recreational areas in Peninsular Malaysia from December 2018 to April 2019. Each culture was examined under dark-field microscopy prior to genus confirmation by polymerase chain reaction using primers for the 16S rRNA gene. A total of 390 water and soil samples were collected, and 131 cultures were
positive for Leptospira under dark-field microscope examination. Leptospira was identified in most of the recreational areas sampled, and at least one pathogenic Leptospira species was isolated from 17 recreational areas. The prevalence of saprophytic, intermediate, and pathogenic Leptospira spp. was 19.7%, 5.6%, and 8.2%, respectively. The dominant pathogenic species found in the samples was Leptospira kmetyi. This study provides important data on the distribution and prevalence of Leptospira spp. from soil and water, as well as the dominant pathogenic species, at recreational areas in Peninsular Malaysia. Therefore, preventive measures should be taken to ensure the safety of visitors.
A. M. Zaki : R. Hod : Z. M. Isa Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
N. A. Shamsusah : H. K. Agustar (*) Department of Earth Science and Environment, Faculty of Science & Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, UKM, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia e-mail: [email protected]
A. M. Zaki e-mail: [email protected] R. Hod e-mail: [email protected] Z. M. Isa e-mail: [email protected] A. M. Zaki Malaysia Ministry of Health, Complex E, Federal Government Administrative Centre, 62590 Putrajaya, Malaysia
Keywords Leptospira . Prevalence . Recreational area . Polymerase chain reaction . 16S rRNA
N. A. Shamsusah e-mail: [email protected] S. K. Bejo Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia e-mail: [email protected]
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Introduction Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by helical bacteria from the genus Leptospira (Dietrich et al. 2015). This disease is present worldwide, especially in the tropical and subtropical regions (Dechner 2014; LaRocque et al. 2005; Slack et a
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