{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T02:24:49Z","timestamp":1788143089038,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,27]],"date-time":"2022-05-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1653609600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Vicerrector\u00eda de Investigaci\u00f3n","award":["\u201c00007678\u201d"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["\u201c00007678\u201d"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["TropicalMed"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Leptospirosis is caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp., which can be found in nature among domestic and wild animals. In Colombia, the Macaregua cave is known for its bat richness; thus, because bats are reservoir hosts of human microbiological pathogens, we determined if the Macaregua cave bats harbored Leptospira in the wild. A total of 85 kidney samples were collected from three bat species (Carollia perspicillata, Mormoops megalophylla, and Natalus tumidirostris) to detect Leptospira spp. The 16S rRNA gene was targeted through conventional PCR and qPCR; in addition, the LipL32 gene was detected using conventional PCR. Obtained amplicons were purified and sequenced for phylogenetic analysis. The Leptospira spp. 16S rRNA gene was detected in 51.8% bat kidneys, of which 35 sequences were obtained, all clustering within the pathogenic group. Moreover, 11 sequences presented high-identity-values with Leptospiranoguchii, Leptospiraalexanderi, Leptospiraborgpetersenii, Leptospirakirschneri, and Leptospiramayottensis. From the 16S rRNALeptospira spp.-positive population samples, 28 amplified for the LipL32 gene, and 23 sequences clustered in five different phylogenetic groups. In conclusion, we detected the circulation of different groups of Leptospira spp. sequences among cave bats in the wild; some sequences were detected in more than one bat specimen from the same species, suggesting a conspecific transmission within the cave.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/tropicalmed7060084","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,31]],"date-time":"2022-05-31T05:25:42Z","timestamp":1653974742000},"page":"84","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Pathogenic Leptospira Species in Bats: Molecular Detection in a Colombian Cave"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"7","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0669-494X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carlos","family":"Silva-Ramos","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Grupo de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Departamento de Microbiolog\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogot\u00e1 110231, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sandra","family":"Chala-Quintero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Grupo de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Departamento de Microbiolog\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogot\u00e1 110231, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"\u00c1lvaro","family":"Faccini-Mart\u00ednez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de investigaciones, Fundaci\u00f3n Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud\u2014FUCS, Bogot\u00e1 110231, Colombia"},{"name":"Servicios y Asesor\u00edas en Infectolog\u00eda \u2013 SAI, Bogot\u00e1 110231, Colombia"},{"name":"Committee of Tropical Medicine, Zoonoses and Travel Medicine, Asociaci\u00f3n Colombiana de Infectolog\u00eda, Bogot\u00e1 110231, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1127-0132","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marylin","family":"Hidalgo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Grupo de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Departamento de Microbiolog\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogot\u00e1 110231, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Adriana","family":"Pulido-Villamar\u00edn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Microbiolog\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias, Unidad de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (UNIDIA), Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogot\u00e1 110231, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7121-6210","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jairo","family":"P\u00e9rez-Torres","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Ecolog\u00eda Funcional, Facultad de Ciencias, Unidad de Ecolog\u00eda y Sistem\u00e1tica (UNESIS), Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogot\u00e1 110231, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3494-6481","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claudia","family":"Cuervo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Grupo de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Departamento de Microbiolog\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogot\u00e1 110231, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","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. 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