Журнал бактериологии и паразитологии

Абстрактный

LEPTOSPIRA: morphology, classification and pathogenesis

Kharaji Mohammed, Koen Nozha, Karib Hakim, Fassouan Abdelaziz and Belahsen Rekia

Leptospirosis, caused by pathogenic Leptospira, is one of the most common zoonotic diseases known. Leptospirosis may occur sporadically or in epidemics. Humans are susceptible to infection by a variety of serovars. These bacteria are antigenically diverse. Variations in the antigenic composition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are thought to account for this antigenic diversity. The presence of over 200 recognized antigenic types (called serovars) of pathogenic Leptospira has complicated our understanding of this genus. Definitive diagnosis is suggested by isolation of the organism by culture or a positive microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Serologic testing is performed only by specialized laboratories; therefore, treatment decisions should not be delayed pending test results.