Recent serologic studies have identified flying foxes (Pteropus spp.) as carriers of leptospirosis; however, little is known about the role of flying foxes as carriers of pathogenic Leptospira spp. To determine if Australian Pteropus spp. are carriers of pathogenic Leptospira spp., TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect leptospiral DNA in kidney and urine specimens from four species of flying fox, including the spectacled flying fox (Pteropus conspicillatus), black flying fox (Pteropus alecto), grey-headed flying fox (Pteropus poliocephalus), and little red flying fox (Pteropus scapulatus). Of the 173 kidney samples tested, 19 (11%) were positive for leptospiral DNA. Positive individuals were detected in all four species; significant differences in prevalence were not detected between species, between species within the same geographic area, or between geographically separated samples from the same species. Of the 46 urine samples tested, 18 (39%) tested positive by PCR, confirming that flying foxes shed leptospires into the environment. The detection of leptospiral DNA in the kidneys and urine of flying foxes suggests that flying foxes are carriers of pathogenic Leptospira spp. No evidence collected in the present study, however, suggests that flying foxes pose a significant risk of leptospirosis to the wider community or that humans who are in regular, close contact with flying foxes are at risk for leptospirosis.
Skip Nav Destination
Close
Article navigation
Research Article|
October 01 2005
FLYING FOXES AS CARRIERS OF PATHOGENIC LEPTOSPIRA SPECIES
T. E. Cox;
T. E. Cox
1 School of Animal Studies, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia
Search for other works by this author on:
L. D. Smythe;
L. D. Smythe
3
2 WHO/FAO/OIE Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis, Queensland Health Scientific Services, Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, Queensland 4108, Australia
3 Corresponding author (email: lee_smythe@health.qld.gov.au)
Search for other works by this author on:
L. K.-P. Leung
L. K.-P. Leung
1 School of Animal Studies, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia
Search for other works by this author on:
J Wildl Dis (2005) 41 (4): 753–757.
Article history
Received:
September 29 2004
Citation
T. E. Cox, L. D. Smythe, L. K.-P. Leung; FLYING FOXES AS CARRIERS OF PATHOGENIC LEPTOSPIRA SPECIES. J Wildl Dis 1 October 2005; 41 (4): 753–757. doi: https://doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-41.4.753
Download citation file:
Close
Citing articles via
Clonal Spread of Quinolone-Resistant Escherichia coli among Sika Deer (Cervus nippon) Inhabiting an Urban City Park in Japan
Shiori Ikushima, Harumi Torii, Makoto Asano, Masatsugu Suzuki, Tetsuo Asai
ORAL RABIES VACCINATION STRATEGIES TOWARD RACCOON (PROCYON LOTOR) RABIES ELIMINATION ON SUBURBAN LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK, USA
Laura L. Bigler, John B. Ochwat, Salvatore C. Scarpitta, Bryan W. Matthews, Robert J. Rudd, Donald H. Lein
VIRUS NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODY FOLLOWING ORAL RABIES VACCINATION OF RACCOONS (PROCYON LOTOR) ON SUBURBAN LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK, USA
Laura L. Bigler, John B. Ochwat, Salvatore C. Scarpitta, Bryan W. Matthews, Robert J. Rudd, Donald H. Lein
Anticoagulant Rodenticides in Red-Tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) from New York City, New York, USA, 2012–18
Joseph C. Okoniewski, Christine VanPatten, Ashley E. Ableman, Kevin P. Hynes, Angela L. Martin, Peter Furdyna
Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in American Black Bears (Ursus americanus) in Nevada, USA, using an Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay
Brendan Dorion, Wendy Black, Peregrine Wolff, Lance Murray, Kylie Nomi, Rob Bildfell