Investigating animals and environments in contact with leptospirosis patients in Aotearoa New Zealand reveals complex exposure pathways.

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dc.citation.volumeAhead of Print
dc.contributor.authorBenschop J
dc.contributor.authorCollins-Emerson JM
dc.contributor.authorVallee E
dc.contributor.authorPrinsen G
dc.contributor.authorYeung P
dc.contributor.authorWright J
dc.contributor.authorLittlejohn S
dc.contributor.authorDouwes J
dc.contributor.authorFayaz A
dc.contributor.authorMarshall JC
dc.contributor.authorBaker MG
dc.contributor.authorQuin T
dc.contributor.authorNisa S
dc.coverage.spatialEngland
dc.date.accessioned2025-02-19T19:47:19Z
dc.date.available2025-02-19T19:47:19Z
dc.date.issued2025-02-12
dc.description.abstractCASE HISTORY: Three human leptospirosis cases from a case-control study were recruited for in-contact animal and environment sampling and Leptospira testing between October 2020 and December 2021. These cases were selected because of regular exposure to livestock, pets, and/or wildlife, and sampling was carried out on their farms or lifestyle blocks (sites A-C), with veterinarians overseeing the process for livestock, and cases collecting environmental and wildlife samples. LABORATORY FINDINGS: Across the three sites, a total of 137 cattle, > 40 sheep, 28 possums, six dogs, six rats, three pigs and three rabbits were tested. Herd serology results on Site A, a dairy farm, showed infection with Tarassovi and Pomona; urinary shedding showed Leptospira borgpetersenii str. Pacifica. Animals were vaccinated against Hardjo, Pomona and Copenhageni. The farmer was diagnosed with Ballum. On Site B, a beef and sheep farm, serology showed infection with Pomona; animals were not vaccinated, and the farmer was diagnosed with Hardjo. On Site C, cattle were shedding L. borgpetersenii; animals were not vaccinated, and the case's serovar was indeterminate. Six wild animals associated with Sites A and C and one environmental sample from Site A were positive for pathogenic Leptospira by PCR. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the complexity of potential exposures and the difficulty in identifying infection sources for human cases. This reinforces the need for multiple preventive measures such as animal vaccination, the use of personal protective equipment, pest control, and general awareness of leptospirosis to reduce infection risk in agricultural settings. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Farms with unvaccinated livestock had Leptospira infections, highlighting the importance of animal vaccination. Infections amongst stock that were vaccinated emphasise the importance of best practice vaccination recommendations and pest control. Abbreviations: MAT: Microscopic agglutination test; PIC: Person in charge; PPE: Personalprotective equipment
dc.description.confidentialfalse
dc.format.pagination1-9
dc.identifier.author-urlhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39938555
dc.identifier.citationBenschop J, Collins-Emerson JM, Vallee E, Prinsen G, Yeung P, Wright J, Littlejohn S, Douwes J, Fayaz A, Marshall JC, Baker MG, Quin T, Nisa S. (2025). Investigating animals and environments in contact with leptospirosis patients in Aotearoa New Zealand reveals complex exposure pathways.. N Z Vet J. Ahead of Print. (pp. 1-9).
dc.identifier.doi10.1080/00480169.2025.2459639
dc.identifier.eissn1176-0710
dc.identifier.elements-typejournal-article
dc.identifier.issn0048-0169
dc.identifier.urihttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/72514
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherTaylor and Francis Group
dc.publisher.urihttp://tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00480169.2025.2459639
dc.relation.isPartOfN Z Vet J
dc.rights(c) 2025 The Author/s
dc.rightsCC BY-NC-ND 4.0
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectLeptospira
dc.subjectNew Zealand
dc.subjectOne Health
dc.subjectleptospirosis
dc.subjectmolecular typing
dc.titleInvestigating animals and environments in contact with leptospirosis patients in Aotearoa New Zealand reveals complex exposure pathways.
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.elements-id499659
pubs.organisational-groupOther
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