Molecular typing of Leptospira interrogans strains isolated from Rattus tanezumi in Guizhou Province, Southwest of China.

Objective: To identify and type three leptospires isolated from Rattus tanezumi in Guizhou Province by using three molecular techniques (PFGE, MLVA, and MLST), reveal the molecular characteristic of causative agents of local leptospirosis and evaluate these three molecular methods based on their detection resolution and efficiency.

Methods: Three Leptospira strains were isolated from the kidney of Rattus tanezumi and cultured with EMJH medium. PFGE, MLVA, and MLST assays were applied to type the three strains isolated from Rattus tanezumi in Guizhou Province.

Results: PFGE, MLVA, and MLST typing showed that the three leptospiral isolates matched with leptospiral serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae serovar Lai. The findings of the genotyping methods were consistent. MLVA and MLST defined genotypes, whereas PFGE allowed the recognition of additional subgroups within the genotypes, and the findings of molecular typing were also consistent with those of traditional techniques.

Conclusion: Three leptospiral isolates from Guizhou Province matched with leptospiral serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae serovar Lai, and PFGE, MLVA, and MLST, as reliable molecular techniques for identifying and typing of Leptospira interrogans, would contribute to the active surveillance, outbreak investigation and source tracking for leptospirosis in Guizhou Province.