<i>Leptospira</i> in Slaughtered Fattening Pigs in Southern Italy: Serological Survey and Molecular Typing
Giusi Macaluso | Alessandra Torina | Valeria Blanda | Annalisa Guercio | Antonio Lastra | Ilenia Giacchino | Rosalia D’Agostino | Carmela Sciacca | Mario D’Incau | Cristina Bertasio | Francesca Grippi
Leptospirosis is a re-emerging zoonosis of worldwide significance; a wide spectrum of wild and domestic animal species act as natural or accidental hosts. Swine can act as maintenance or accidental hosts of pathogenic <i>Leptospira</i> spp. This study aimed at investigation of <i>Leptospira</i> spp. prevalence and diversity in slaughtered pigs in southern Italy (Sicily). In total, 55 samples of kidneys and blood were collected. Microscopic agglutination test and real-time PCR were performed to detect pathogenic and intermediately pathogenic <i>Leptospira</i>. Partial <i>rpoB</i> gene sequencing and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) were performed to characterize <i>Leptospira</i> species. The analysis showed a seropositivity rate of 16.4%, with Australis representing the most frequently identified serogroup (63.64%); Pomona and Sejroe were detected with a prevalence of 27.27% and 9.09%, respectively. Pathogenic Leptospiral DNA was detected in 2 kidney samples (3.64%). <i>Leptospira</i> were identified through MLST as <i>L. borgpetersenii</i> serovar Tarassovi (serogroup Tarassovi). Obtained data confirmed the presence of <i>Leptospira</i> infection among pigs in southern Italy, suggesting that management of these animals may be considered an occupational risk for humans.
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