Leptospira and Bats: Story of an Emerging Friendship

A growing number of recent studies have highlighted bats as a reservoir for Leptospira bacteria, pointing out the potential role of bats in the epidemiology of the most widespread zoonotic disease in the world [1]. Because leptospirosis is a largely neglected disease, a number of unan-swered questio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS pathogens Vol. 11; no. 11; p. e1005176
Main Authors: Dietrich, Muriel, Mühldorfer, Kristin, Tortosa, Pablo, Markotter, Wanda
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Public Library of Science 01.11.2015
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Subjects:
Animals
Bacteria
Bacteriology
Bats
Care and treatment
Chiroptera - immunology
Chiroptera - microbiology
Complications and side effects
Disease Reservoirs - microbiology
Ecology
Ecology, environment
Epidemiology
Funding
Gram-negative bacteria
Health
Humans
Infections
Leptospira - isolation & purification
Leptospira - pathogenicity
Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis - microbiology
Life Sciences
Microbiology and Parasitology
Microscope and microscopy
Mortality
Pathogens
Pearls
Physiological aspects
Public health
Risk
Rodents
Studies
Symbiosis
Urine
Virology
Zoonoses
bats
leptospira
ISSN:1553-7374, 1553-7366, 1553-7374
Online Access:Get full text
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Description
Summary:A growing number of recent studies have highlighted bats as a reservoir for Leptospira bacteria, pointing out the potential role of bats in the epidemiology of the most widespread zoonotic disease in the world [1]. Because leptospirosis is a largely neglected disease, a number of unan-swered questions remain about the ecology and evolution of Leptospira, especially those associated with bats. Here we summarize what has been recently learned about this emerging but enigmatic host–pathogen association. We show how this system can provide exciting new opportunities to obtain insights into the evolutionary ecology of bat-borne pathogens and propose future directions to disentangle the role of bats in human leptospirosis. What Do We Know, Briefly, about Leptospirosis and Leptospira?
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
ISSN:1553-7374
1553-7366
1553-7374
DOI:10.1371/journal.ppat.1005176