Original Research

Evaluation of ‘white-spotted kidneys’ associated with leptospirosis by polymerase chain reaction based LipL32 gene in slaughtered cows

Shahrzad Azizi, Elahe Tajbakhsh, Mohammad R. Hajimirzaei, Mohssen Gholami Varnamkhast, Hossein Sadeghian, Ahmad Oryan
Journal of the South African Veterinary Association | Vol 83, No 1 | a69 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/jsava.v83i1.69 | © 2012 Shahrzad Azizi, Elahe Tajbakhsh, Mohammad R. Hajimirzaei, Mohssen Gholami Varnamkhast, Hossein Sadeghian, Ahmad Oryan | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 16 April 2012 | Published: 05 November 2012

About the author(s)

Shahrzad Azizi, Department of Pathology, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch, Iran, Islamic Republic of
Elahe Tajbakhsh, Department of Microbiology, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch, Iran, Islamic Republic of
Mohammad R. Hajimirzaei, Veterinary Medicine School, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch, Iran, Islamic Republic of
Mohssen Gholami Varnamkhast, Veterinary Medicine School, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch, Iran, Islamic Republic of
Hossein Sadeghian, Veterinary Medicine School, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch, Iran, Islamic Republic of
Ahmad Oryan, Department of Veterinary Pathology, Shiraz University, Iran, Islamic Republic of

Abstract

The presence of white spots in the kidneys of cattle at slaughter (so-called white-spotted kidneys) can be an indication of infection with Leptospira, a spirochaete of public health concern because it causes zoonotic disease. In this study, 24 kidneys of 180 slaughtered cows (13.3%) showed focal to multifocal white spots at inspection. These kidneys, together with matching urine (n = 18) and blood (n = 24) samples, were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the LipL32 gene. Leptospiral deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was detected in 19 (79.2%) out of 24 kidneys, as well as 7 (29.2%) blood and 10 (55.5%) urine samples of cows with white spots in their kidneys. Histopathological findings revealed multifocal infiltration of mononuclear cells, including lymphocytes and a few plasma cells in the renal interstitial tissues. In addition, 14 apparently normal kidneys and associated urine and blood samples were similarly examined by PCR but did not provide any positive results. In this study, high detection of leptospirosis in kidneys with interstitial nephritis suggests that Leptospira spp. are associated with white spotted kidneys. The present findings indicate that white spotted kidneys can be due to leptospirosis in this region in southwestern Iran, which indicates an increased risk of zoonotic disease. The data show that LipL32-based primers are useful for PCR-based diagnosis of leptospirosis.

Keywords

Leptospirosis; white-spotted kidneys; PCR; cattle; zoonotic disease

Metrics

Total abstract views: 4457
Total article views: 10214

 

Crossref Citations

1. First isolation and genotyping of pathogenic Leptospira spp. from Austria
Cynthia Sohm, Denise Willixhofer, Eva Fasching, Karoline Waldner, Nicole Deitzer, Janina Steiner, Julia Jöbstl, Corina Schleicher, Marcel Schwarz, Reinhard Fuchs, Pascale Bourhy, Annemarie Käsbohrer, Thomas Wittek, Clair Firth, Romana Steinparzer, Amélie Desvars-Larrive
Scientific Reports  vol: 14  issue: 1  year: 2024  
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-53775-w

2. Comparison of polymerase chain reaction and Warthin-Starry techniques to detect Leptospira spp. in kidneys of slaughtered cattle
Shahrzad Azizi, Reza Kheirandish, Elham Rahimi
Onderstepoort J Vet Res  vol: 81  issue: 1  year: 2014  
doi: 10.4102/ojvr.v81i1.821

3. Cytokine and Chemokine Expression in Kidneys during Chronic Leptospirosis in Reservoir and Susceptible Animal Models
Mariko Matsui, Louise Roche, Sophie Geroult, Marie-Estelle Soupé-Gilbert, Didier Monchy, Michel Huerre, Cyrille Goarant, R. Mark Wooten
PLOS ONE  vol: 11  issue: 5  first page: e0156084  year: 2016  
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156084

4. A multipronged approach for the detection of leptospirosis in captive sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) in Agra and Bannerghatta sloth bear rescue centers in India
Karikalan MATHESH, Sabarinath THANKAPPAN, Yosef DENEKE, Beena VAMADEVAN, Chandra Mohan SIDDAPPA, Anil Kumar SHARMA, Ilayaraja SELVARAJ, Arun SHA, Ashok KUMAR
Journal of Veterinary Medical Science  vol: 83  issue: 7  first page: 1059  year: 2021  
doi: 10.1292/jvms.21-0082

5. Serological and Molecular evidence of pathogenic Leptospira species in cattle from slaughterhouses in Veracruz State, Mexico
Jose Luis Ochoa-Valencia, Anabel Cruz-Romero, Sokani Sánchez-Montes, Sandra Cecilia Esparza-González, Dora Romero-Salas, Belisario Domínguez-Mancera, Jose Rodrigo Ramos-Vázquez, Ingeborg Becker, Marco Torres-Castro
Revista Científica de la Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias  vol: XXXIII  issue: 1  first page: 1  year: 2022  
doi: 10.52973/rcfcv-e33201

6. Leptospirosis in pigs, dogs, rodents, humans, and water in an area of the Colombian tropics
Alfonso Calderón, Virginia Rodríguez, Salim Máttar, Germán Arrieta
Tropical Animal Health and Production  vol: 46  issue: 2  first page: 427  year: 2014  
doi: 10.1007/s11250-013-0508-y

7. Leptospiral major outer membrane protein
Ciamak Ghazaei
Reviews in Medical Microbiology  vol: 26  issue: 2  first page: 65  year: 2015  
doi: 10.1097/MRM.0000000000000022

8. Prevalence of renal lesions in slaughtered cattle in Shiraz, Iran, and detection of Leptospira in them by nested PCR-RFLP
Vahideh Taghadosi, Saeid Hosseinzadeh, Seyed Shahram Shekarforoush, Azadeh Samiei
Tropical Animal Health and Production  vol: 48  issue: 8  first page: 1691  year: 2016  
doi: 10.1007/s11250-016-1145-z