{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T12:17:23Z","timestamp":1781266643022,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,21]],"date-time":"2024-05-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1716249600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Microorganisms"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Leptospirosis is one of the most common zoonotic infections and a major problem in terms of both veterinary medicine and public health. However, the disease is under-recognised and under-diagnosed worldwide, particularly in horses. Clinical leptospirosis in horses is mainly associated with recurrent uveitis (ERU), which has recently been studied more intensively, and reproductive disorders, the epidemiology of which is still relatively poorly understood. To enhance our comprehension of abortions caused by leptospirosis in horses and to identify the causative strains, a serological study was carried out with subsequent molecular characterisation of the isolate obtained. Using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), serum samples from mares that aborted and foetal fluids (when available) were tested for antibodies against Leptospira spp. Furthermore, bacteria isolation from kidney cultures was conducted. Of 97 mare serum samples, 21 (21.64%) tested positive, with Grippotyphosa and Pomona being the most frequently detected serogroups. A significantly higher seroprevalence was found in aborting mares compared to the healthy horse population from the same geographical area, as well as a pronounced seasonal variation. Leptospiral antibodies were not detected in any of the foetal fluids, but isolation was successful in 1 case out of 39 (2.56%). Genotyping by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) identified the obtained isolate as Leptospira kirschneri, serogroup Pomona, serovar Mozdok. Further surveillance and molecular typing of Leptospira strains causing abortion in horses would be invaluable in understanding the prevalence and impact of leptospirosis on equine reproductive health in Europe.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms12061039","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,22]],"date-time":"2024-05-22T06:54:09Z","timestamp":1716360849000},"page":"1039","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Association between Exposure to Leptospira spp. and Abortion in Mares in Croatia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2549-6044","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Iva","family":"Ze\u010devi\u0107","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mathieu","family":"Picardeau","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biology of Spirochetes Unit, National Reference Center for Leptospirosis, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Silvijo","family":"Vince","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Reproduction and Obstetrics Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3984-414X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Suzana","family":"Ha\u0111ina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Matko","family":"Perhari\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zrinka","family":"\u0160tritof","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vladimir","family":"Stevanovi\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Iva","family":"Benvin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nenad","family":"Turk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ivana","family":"Lohman Jankovi\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ministry of Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Safety Directorate, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9663-0466","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Josipa","family":"Habu\u0161","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"161","DOI":"10.1111\/tmi.13965","article-title":"Global distribution of Leptospira serovar isolations and detections from animal host species: A systematic review and online database","volume":"29","author":"Hagedoorn","year":"2024","journal-title":"Trop. Med. Int. Health"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"287","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vetmic.2009.03.012","article-title":"Leptospira and leptospirosis","volume":"140","author":"Adler","year":"2010","journal-title":"Vet. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_3","first-page":"99","article-title":"Animal Leptospirosis","volume":"387","author":"Ellis","year":"2015","journal-title":"Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"287","DOI":"10.1111\/evj.13069","article-title":"Leptospirosis: An important infectious disease in North American horses","volume":"51","author":"Divers","year":"2019","journal-title":"Equine Vet. J."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"61","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vetmic.2013.04.012","article-title":"Leptospirosis in horses","volume":"167","author":"Verma","year":"2013","journal-title":"Vet. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"684","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1939-1676.2012.00902.x","article-title":"Acute Respiratory Failure Caused by Leptospira spp. in 5 Foals","volume":"26","author":"Broux","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Vet. Intern. Med."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"264","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vetmic.2015.06.014","article-title":"Presence of leptospires on genital tract of mares with reproductive problems","volume":"179","author":"Hamond","year":"2015","journal-title":"Vet. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.medmal.2012.11.005","article-title":"Diagnosis and epidemiology of leptospirosis","volume":"43","author":"Picardeau","year":"2013","journal-title":"Med. Mal. Infect."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104241","DOI":"10.1016\/j.meegid.2020.104241","article-title":"Leptospira spp., a genus in the stage of diversity and genomic data expansion","volume":"81","author":"Caimi","year":"2020","journal-title":"Infect. Genet. Evol."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"171","DOI":"10.1111\/evj.12281","article-title":"A diagnostic evaluation of real-time PCR, fluorescent antibody and microscopic agglutination tests in cases of equine leptospiral abortion","volume":"47","author":"Erol","year":"2015","journal-title":"Equine Vet. J."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"270","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1439-0442.2007.00921.x","article-title":"Recurrent uveitis in horses: Vitreal examinations with ultrastructural detection of leptospires","volume":"54","author":"Brandes","year":"2007","journal-title":"J. Vet. Medicine. A Physiol. Pathol. Clin. Med."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"110","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1439-0450.2004.00740.x","article-title":"Classification of leptospira from the eyes of horses suffering from recurrent uveitis","volume":"51","author":"Hartskeerl","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. Vet. Medicine. B Infect. Dis. Vet. Public Health"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"87","DOI":"10.1177\/104063879500700114","article-title":"Prevalence and serovars of leptospira involved in equine abortions in central Kentucky during the foaling seasons","volume":"7","author":"Donahue","year":"1995","journal-title":"J. Veter. Diagn. Investig."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"362","DOI":"10.1177\/030098589303000405","article-title":"Leptospirosis in equine fetuses, stillborn foals, and placentas","volume":"30","author":"Poonacha","year":"1993","journal-title":"Vet. Pathol."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"349","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vetmic.2011.02.049","article-title":"A unique genotype of Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona type kennewicki is associated with equine abortion","volume":"150","author":"Timoney","year":"2011","journal-title":"Vet. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"321","DOI":"10.1111\/j.2042-3306.1983.tb01811.x","article-title":"Leptospiral infection in aborted equine foetuses","volume":"15","author":"Ellis","year":"1983","journal-title":"Equine Vet. J."},{"key":"ref_17","first-page":"253","article-title":"Equine leptospirosis in Croatia-occurrence of subclinical infections Equine leptospirosis in Croatia-occurrence of subclinical infections and abortions and abortions STARE\u0160INA: Equine Equine leptospirosis in Croatia-occurrence of subclinical infections and abortions. Leptospirosis in Croatia-occurrence of subclinical infections and abortions","volume":"83","author":"Turk","year":"2013","journal-title":"Vet. Arh."},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"260","article-title":"Serological typing methods of leptospires","volume":"11","author":"Dikken","year":"1978","journal-title":"Methods Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_19","unstructured":"Hartskeerl, R.A., Smits, H.L., Korver, H., Goris, M.G.A., and Terpstra, W.J. (2006). Manual International Course on Laboratory Methods for the Diagnosis of Leptospirosis, KIT."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ahmed, N., Manjulata, S.D., De Los \u00c1 Valverde, M., Vijayachari, P., Machang\u2019u, R.S., Ellis, W.A., and Hartskeerl, R.A. (2006). Multilocus sequence typing method for identification and genotypic classification of pathogenic Leptospira species. Ann. Clin. Microbiol. Antimicrob., 5.","DOI":"10.1186\/1476-0711-5-28"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Guglielmini, J., Bourhy, P., Schiettekatte, O., Zinini, F., Brisse, S., and Picardeau, M. (2019). Genus-wide Leptospira core genome multilocus sequence typing for strain taxonomy and global surveillance. PLoS Neglected Trop. Dis., 13.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0007374"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104844","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jevs.2023.104844","article-title":"Serological Surveillance of Equine Leptospirosis in Croatia in the Period from 2012 to 2022: A Key Insight into the Changing Epizootiology","volume":"127","author":"Benvin","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Equine Vet. Sci."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"351","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijid.2007.09.011","article-title":"The globalization of leptospirosis: Worldwide incidence trends","volume":"12","author":"Pappas","year":"2008","journal-title":"Int. J. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"269","DOI":"10.1136\/vr.101239","article-title":"Seroprevalence study of leptospirosis in horses in northern Poland","volume":"172","author":"Arent","year":"2013","journal-title":"Vet. Rec."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"449","DOI":"10.1024\/0036-7281\/a000247","article-title":"Seropr\u00e4valenz von Leptospira spp. bei klinisch gesunden Pferden in der Schweiz","volume":"153","author":"Blatti","year":"2011","journal-title":"Schweiz. Arch. Tierheilkd."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Vera, E., Taddei, S., Cavirani, S., Schiavi, J., Angelone, M., Cabassi, C.S., Schiano, E., and Quintavalla, F. (2020). Leptospira seroprevalence in bardigiano horses in northern Italy. Animals, 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/ani10010023"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"740621","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2021.740621","article-title":"A Diagnostic Survey of Aborted Equine Fetuses and Stillborn Premature Foals in Denmark","volume":"8","author":"Agerholm","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front. Vet. Sci."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"262","DOI":"10.1136\/vr.100551","article-title":"Causes of equine abortion, stillbirth and neonatal death in central Italy","volume":"170","author":"Marenzoni","year":"2012","journal-title":"Vet. Rec."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.actatropica.2017.01.002","article-title":"New trends in human and animal leptospirosis in Croatia, 2009\u20132014","volume":"168","author":"Habus","year":"2017","journal-title":"Acta Trop."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"285","DOI":"10.1111\/evj.13022","article-title":"Leptospirosis in horses: A European perspective","volume":"51","author":"Malalana","year":"2019","journal-title":"Equine Vet. J."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"111","DOI":"10.1016\/j.actatropica.2013.12.009","article-title":"Epizootiological survey of small mammals as Leptospira spp. reservoirs in Eastern Croatia","volume":"131","author":"Galloway","year":"2014","journal-title":"Acta Trop."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"203","DOI":"10.1080\/20477724.2018.1480137","article-title":"Simplified MLST scheme for direct typing of Leptospira human clinical samples","volume":"112","author":"Varni","year":"2018","journal-title":"Pathog. Glob. Health"},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Grillova, L., Cokelaer, T., Mariet, J.F., da Fonseca, J.P., and Picardeau, M. (2023). Core genome sequencing and genotyping of Leptospira interrogans in clinical samples by target capture sequencing. BMC Infect. Dis., 23.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-023-08126-x"}],"container-title":["Microorganisms"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-2607\/12\/6\/1039\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T14:45:56Z","timestamp":1760107556000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-2607\/12\/6\/1039"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,21]]},"references-count":33,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,6]]}},"alternative-id":["microorganisms12061039"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/microorganisms12061039","relation":{},"ISSN":["2076-2607"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2076-2607","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,21]]}}}