Correction: Genus-wide Leptospira core genome multilocus sequence typing for strain taxonomy and global surveillance.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.

Genus-wide Leptospira core genome multilocus sequence typing for strain taxonomy and global surveillance.

Leptospira is a highly heterogeneous bacterial genus that can be divided into three evolutionary lineages and >300 serovars. The causative agents of leptospirosis are responsible of an emerging zoonotic disease worldwide. To advance our understanding of the biodiversity of Leptospira strains at the global level, we evaluated the performance of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) as a genus-wide strain classification and genotyping tool.

Serovar diversity of pathogenic Leptospira circulating in the French West Indies.

Background: Leptospirosis is one of the most important neglected tropical bacterial diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, very little is known about the circulating etiological agents of leptospirosis in this region. In this study, we describe the serological and molecular features of leptospires isolated from 104 leptospirosis patients in Guadeloupe (n = 85) and Martinique (n = 19) and six rats captured in Guadeloupe, between 2004 and 2012.

Human leptospira isolates circulating in Mayotte (Indian Ocean) have unique serological and molecular features.

Leptospirosis is one of the most widespread zoonoses in the world. However, there is a lack of information on circulating Leptospira strains in remote parts of the world. We describe the serological and molecular features of leptospires isolated from 94 leptospirosis patients in Mayotte, a French department located in the Comoros archipelago, between 2007 and 2010.

Comparison of real-time PCR assays for detection of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in blood and identification of variations in target sequences.

Leptospirosis is considered an underdiagnosed disease. Although several PCR-based methods are currently in use, there is little information on their comparability. In this study, four quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assays (SYBR green and TaqMan chemistries) targeting the secY, lfb1, and lipL32 genes were evaluated as diagnostic assays.