Leptospira

Leptospira /Lep·to·spi·ra/ (-spi´rah) a genus of aerobic spirochete bacteria (family Leptospiraceae); all pathogenic strains (i.e., those that cause leptospirosis) are contained in the species L. inter´rogans, which is divided into several serogroups, which are in turn divided into serotypes.

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leptospira /lep·to·spi·ra/ an individual organism belonging to the genus Leptospira. leptospi´ral

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Lep·to·spi·ra (lpt-spr)

n.

A genus of aerobic spirochetes of the order Spirochaetales, consisting of thin, tightly coiled cells, many species of which cause leptospirosis.

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Leptospira

[-spī′rə]

Etymology: Gk, leptos + speira, coil

a genus of the family Leptospiracceae, order Spirochaetales; tightly coiled microorganisms having spirals with hooked ends. The spirochete thrives in the urine of infected animals, especially rodents; is pathogenic to humans and other mammals; and may cause hepatitis, jaundice, skin hemorrhages, fever, renal failure, mental status changes, and muscular illness. See also leptospirosis.

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Leptospira

a genus of thin, coiled, motile bacteria that cannot be visualized with conventional bacteriological staining methods. They are usually observed by dark-field microscopy or detected in tissue sections by special (silver) stains. There are 11 species, of which L. interrogans, L. borgpetersenii, L. inadai, L. kirschneri, L. noguchii, L. weilii, and L. santaroseii are significant animal pathogens. Each species contains many serovars and different species may contain antigenically related serovars. Significant serovars include L. interrogans sv canicola, grippotyphosa, hardjoprajitno, icterohaemorrhagiae, pomona and zanoni, L. borgpetersenii sv hardjobovis, L. kirschneri sv grippotyphosa. Isolates can also be grouped on the basis of serogroups, which include Grippotyphosa, Pomona, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, Sejroe and Tarassovi. Serovars vary in their host specificity, their preferred host and their pathogenicity.

Two of the bacteria's characteristics, which are important in the epidemiology of the diseases that it causes, are its ability to survive in the environment in warm, moist and slightly alkaline conditions, and its survival in kidneys for long periods, with a resulting frequent and often long-term shedding in the urine.

Although the disease caused by each of the leptospirae has some differences in clinical and epidemiological manifestations in each of the species, there is still sufficient similarity for the diseases to be dealt with as leptospirosis.