Genetic structure and diversity of the rfb locus of pathogenic species of the genus Leptospira

• Published in: Life science alliance 2024-06, Vol.7 (6), p.e202302478
• Main Authors: Ca Ferreira, Leonardo, de Fa Ferreira Filho, Luiz, V Cosate, Maria Raquel, Sakamoto, Tetsu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Genetic Structures; Leptospira - genetics; Leptospirosis - genetics; Leptospirosis - microbiology; Serogroup; Zoonoses - microbiology
• ISSN: 2575-1077; 2575-1077
• DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302478

Leptospirosis is caused by pathogenic strains of the genus and is considered the most widespread zoonotic bacterial disease. The genus is characterized by the large number of serology variants, which challenges developing effective serotyping methods and vaccines with a broad spectrum. Because knowledge on the genetic basis of the serological diversity among leptospires is still limited, we aimed to explore the genetic structure and patterns of the locus, which is involved in the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharides, the major surface antigen that defines the serovar in leptospires. Here, we used genomic data of 722 pathogenic samples and compared the gene composition of their locus by hierarchical clustering. Clustering analysis showed that the locus gene composition is species-independent and strongly associated with the serological classification. The samples were grouped into four well-defined classes, which cluster together samples either belonging to the same serogroup or from different serogroups but sharing serological affinity. Our findings can assist in the development of new strategies based on molecular methods, which can lead to better tools for serological identification in this zoonosis.