Standardization of chronic uterine infection of hamsters by Leptospira santarosai serovar Guaricura, from serogroup Sejroe

Leptospirosis is an important zoonosis that in cattle is characterized as a reproductive disease. It is well reported that the main agent of bovine leptospirosis worldwide is Sejroe serogroup serovar Hardjo. Reproductive disease in cattle has several gaps in its knowledge and studies with Golden Syrian hamsters, experimentally infected, are limited. Therefore, a protocol that could reproduce the chronic genital disease in hamsters would be extremely valuable for the advance of the knowledge of that syndrome. The aim of this study was to establish an experimental protocol for chronic non-lethal genital infection of female hamsters by L. santarosai serovar Guaricura (Sejroe serogroup), strain 2013_VF52. For this, two concentrations (1.0 x 10(8) leptospires/mL and 1.0 x 10(4) leptospires/mL) were used intraperitoneally in female hamsters of 06-08 weeks of age. Hamsters that survived for up to forty days after inoculation were euthanized. Uterine and renal tissues were collected to evaluate leptospires' presence by PCR and culture. The protocol demonstrated that 1.0 x 10(4) leptospires/mL of the strain determined chronic genital leptospirosis in the hamster model. The standardization of a protocol for chronic genital leptospirosis in hamsters can be extremely useful for the understanding of the physiopathology of the infection, as the distribution of leptospires in the uterus and the agent-host interactions.

Automated summary

The aim of this study was to establish an experimental protocol for chronic non-lethal genital infection of female hamsters by L. santarosai serovar Guaricura. The protocol demonstrated that a concentration of 1.0 x 10(4) leptospires/mL of the strain determined chronic genital leptospirosis in the hamster model. The standardization of this protocol can be extremely useful for understanding the physiopathology of the infection and the distribution of leptospires in the uterus.