Epidemiological Situation on Leptospirosis in the Rostov Region in 2024

The aim of the study was to investigate the leptospirosis manifestation peculiarities in the Rostov Region with an assessment of the natural foci epizootic activity and the epidemic significance of infection. Materials and methods. In 2024, an epizootiological study of 15 administrative territories was conducted. Small mammals (314 specimens of 12 species) were captured in open stations. The material from the animals was studied using bacteriological, microscopic, serological and molecular-genetic methods. The testing of 577 blood sera of people from selected groups of conventionally healthy population living in the 18 administrative districts of Rostov Region and Rostov-on-Don city was conducted using ELISA with detection of IgG and IgM to leptospirosis causative agents. Results and discussion. Specific antibodies to leptospirosis pathogens in animals were found in 11.5 % of samples from nine species of small mammals: house mouse, pygmy wood mouse, field vole, yellow-necked mouse, mound-building mouse, lesser white-toothed shrew, pygmy shrew, social vole, brown rat. Leptospira spp. infecting serogroups have been identified: Sejroe, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, Grippotyphosa, Pomona, Tarassovi. PCR-positive result was obtained for a sample from a pygmy wood mouse. Seroepidemiological studies of the conventionally healthy population have revealed the presence of specific antibodies to Leptospira in their blood in 14 administrative territories. The total level of seropreva­lence was 12.7 %. The serogroup structure of the immune layer of the population in the Rostov Region is as follows: Grippotyphosa (28.5 %), Pomona (23.2 %), Canicola (21.4 %), Tarassovi (7.1 %), Sejroe (5.3 %). Positive reactions to several serogroups were noted in a number of serа. The conducted studies evidence the existance of active natural foci of leptospirosis on the territory of the Rostov Region and involvement of the population in the epidemic process.

1. Nikitina A.A., Koryakina L.P. [Etiological structure of Leptospira circulating in populations of farm animals in Yakutia]. [Bulletin of NSAU (Novosibirsk State Agrarian University)]. 2022; (3):111–7. DOI: 10.31677/2072-6724-2022-64-3-111-117.

2. Rajapakse S. Leptospirosis: clinical aspects. Clin. Med. (Lond.). 2022; 22(1):14–7. DOI: 10.7861/clinmed.2021-0784.

3. Haake D.A., Levett P.N. Leptospirosis in humans. Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol. 2015; 387:65–97. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-662-45059-8_5.

4. Nau L.H., Emirhar D., Obiegala A., Mylius M., Runge M., Jacob J., Bier N., Nöckler K., Imholt C., Below D., Princk C., Dreesman J., Ulrich R.G., Pfeffer M., Mayer-Scholl A. Leptospirose in Deutschland: Aktuelle Erkenntnisse zu Erregerspezies, Reservoirwirten und Erkrankungen bei Mensch und Tier. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz. 2019; 62(12):1510–21. DOI: 10.1007/s00103-019-03051-4.

5. Anan’ina Yu.V. [Human and animal leptospiroses: prevalence trends and preventive measures]. Epidemiologiya i Vaktsinoprofilaktika [Epidemiology and Vaccinal Prevention]. 2010; (2):13–6.

6. Chinju Susan Chacko, Shravya Lakshmi S., Anjali Jayakumar, Steffy Ligi Binu, Ramesh Datta Pant, Ashish Giri, Sharad Chand, Nandakumar U.P. A short review on leptospirosis: Clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment. Clin. Epidemiol. Glob. Health. 2021; 11(6):100741. DOI: 10.1016/j.cegh.2021.100741.

7. Gorodin V.N., Moysova D.L., Bakhtina V.A., Zotov S.V. [Trends of contemporary leptospirosis]. Epidemiologiya i Infektsionnye Bolezni [Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases, Russian Journal]. 2018; 23(2):93–100. DOI: 10.18821/1560-9529-2018-23-2-93-10.

8. Savitskaya T.A., Trifonov V.A., Milova I.V., Isaeva G.Sh., Reshetnikova I.D., Serovа I.V. [Leptospirosis in the Republic of Tatarstan. Epidemiological features]. Problemy Osobo Opasnykh Infektsii [Problems of Particularly Dangerous Infections]. 2021; (1):134–9. DOI: 10.21055/0370-1069-2021-1-134-139.

9. Goarant C. Leptospirosis: risk factors and management challenges in developing countries. Res. Rep. Trop. Med. 2016; 7:49–62. DOI: 10.2147/RRTM.S102543.

10. Afonina N.M., Mikheeva I.V. [On the effectiveness of vaccination against infections common to humans and animals, as part of the immunization schedule upon epidemic indications in the Russian Federation]. Epidemiologiya i Vaktsinoprofilaktika [Epidemiology and Vaccinal Prevention]. 2022; 21(1):37–46. DOI: 10.31631/2073-3046-2022-21-1-37-46.

11. Trankvilevsky D.V., Skudareva O.N., Igonina E.P., Kiseleva E.Yu., Korzun V.M., Verzhutskaya Yu.A., Noskov A.K., Kulikalova E.S., Breneva N.V., Budaeva S.E., Morozova I.V., Trishina A.V. [Analysis of the epizootic and epidemiological situation on leptospirosis in 2023 and forecast for 2024 in the Russian Federation]. Problemy Osobo Opasnykh Infektsii [Problems of Particularly Dangerous Infections]. 2024; (3):51–62. DOI: 10.21055/0370-1069-2024-3-51-62.

12. Onishchenko G.G., Blagoveshchenskaya N.M., Lomov Yu.M., Batashev V.V., Fedorov Yu.M., Aidinov G.T. [Epidemiology and Prevention of Leptospirosis]. Rostov-on-Don; 2004. 148 p.

13. Trankvilevsky D.V., Kiseleva E.Yu., Korzun V.M., Breneva N.V., Verzhutskaya Yu.A., Zarva I.D., Skudareva O.N., Balakhonov S.V. [Epizootiological and epidemiological situation on leptospirosis in the Russian Federation over the period of 2013–2022 and the forecast for 2023]. Problemy Osobo Opasnykh Infektsii [Problems of Particularly Dangerous Infections]. 2023; (3):43–50. DOI: 10.21055/0370-1069-2023-3-43-50.

14. Kulichenko A.N., Maletskaya O.V., Manin E.A., Volynkina A.S., Vasilenko N.F., Makhova V.V., Taran T.V., Zhuravel M.A., Prislegina D.A., Petrovskaya V.V., Ashibokov U.M. [Epidemiological Situation Regarding Natural-Focal Infectious Diseases in the South of the Russian Federation in 2023 (Analytical Review)]. Stavropol; 2024. 120 p.

15. Samsonova A.P., Petrov E.M., Savel’eva O.V., Ivanova A.E., Sharapova N.E. [Analyzing the documented results by using microscopic agglutination test to examine sera from patients suspected of leptospirosis]. Infektsiya i Immunitet [Russian Journal of Infection and Immunity]. 2022; 12(5):875–90. DOI: 10.15789/2220-7619-ATD-1758.

16. Lisovsky A.A., Sheftel B.I., Savel’ev A.P., Ermakov O.A., Kozlov Yu.A., Smirnov D.G., Stakheev V.V., Glazov D.M. [Mammals of Russia: species list and applied issues]. [Collection of Works of Zoological Museum of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov]. 2019; 56:1–191.

17. Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. St. Petersburg: Rus-Lasa “NP association of specialists working with laboratory animals”; 2012. 48 p.

18. Mummah R.O., Gomez A.C.R., Guglielmino A.H., Borremans B., Galloway R.L., Prager K.C., Lloyd-Smith J.O. Navigating cross-reactivity and host species effects in a serological assay: A case study of the microscopic agglutination test for Leptospira serology. PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis. 2024; 18(10):e0012042. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012042.

19. Sykes J.E., Reagan K.L., Nally J.E., Galloway R.L., Haake D.A. Role of diagnostics in epidemiology, management, surveillance, and control of leptospirosis. Pathogens. 2022; 11(4):395. DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11040395.