{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T12:28:23Z","timestamp":1789129703797,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":14,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2017,1,10]],"date-time":"2017-01-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1484006400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Veterinary Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Leptospirosis is a global zoonosis caused by pathogenic spirochetes classified within the genus Leptospira. Leptospires live in the proximal renal tubules of reservoir or chronic carrier animals, and are shed in the urine. Na\u00efve animals acquire infection either when they come in direct contact with a reservoir or infected animals or by exposure to environmental surface water or soil that is contaminated with their urine. In this study, urine samples from a herd of donkeys on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts were screened using a TaqMan-based real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) targeting a pathogen-specific leptospiral gene, lipl32. Out of 124 clinically normal donkeys, 22 (18%) tested positive for leptospiral DNA in their urine. Water samples from two water troughs used by the donkeys were also tested, but were found to be free from leptospiral contamination. Detection of leptospiral DNA in the urine of clinically healthy donkeys may point to a role that these animals play in the maintenance of the bacteria on St. Kitts.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vetsci4010002","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,1,10]],"date-time":"2017-01-10T10:16:18Z","timestamp":1484043378000},"page":"2","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Detection of Leptospiral DNA in the Urine of Donkeys on the Caribbean Island of Saint Kitts"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"4","author":[{"given":"Bernard","family":"Grevemeyer","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 334, Basseterre 00265, St. Kitts"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michel","family":"Vandenplas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 334, Basseterre 00265, St. Kitts"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Brittney","family":"Beigel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, 6965 Cumberland Gap Parkway, Harrogate, TN 37752, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ellen","family":"Cho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, 6965 Cumberland Gap Parkway, Harrogate, TN 37752, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Arve","family":"Willingham","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 334, Basseterre 00265, St. Kitts"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ashutosh","family":"Verma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, 6965 Cumberland Gap Parkway, Harrogate, TN 37752, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,1,10]]},"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. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"296","DOI":"10.1128\/CMR.14.2.296-326.2001","article-title":"Leptospirosis","volume":"14","author":"Levett","year":"2001","journal-title":"Clin. Microbiol. Rev."},{"key":"ref_3","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_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"736","DOI":"10.1038\/nrmicro2208","article-title":"Leptospira: The dawn of the molecular genetics era for an emerging zoonotic pathogen","volume":"7","author":"Ko","year":"2009","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_5","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_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7953","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph110807953","article-title":"Molecular detection of leptospiral DNA in environmental water on St. Kitts","volume":"11","author":"Rawlins","year":"2014","journal-title":"Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"530","DOI":"10.3855\/jidc.5727","article-title":"Detection and genotyping of Leptospira spp. from the kidneys of a seemingly healthy pig slaughtered for human consumption","volume":"9","author":"Verma","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Infect. Dev. Ctries."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"828","DOI":"10.1139\/w2012-060","article-title":"Adaptation of a real-time PCR method for the detection and quantification of pathogenic leptospires in environmental water","volume":"58","author":"Vein","year":"2012","journal-title":"Can. J. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1133","DOI":"10.1128\/jcm.15.6.1133-1140.1982","article-title":"Escherichia vulneris: A new species of Enterobacteriaceae associated with human wounds","volume":"15","author":"Brenner","year":"1982","journal-title":"J. Clin. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"45","DOI":"10.1099\/jmm.0.45860-0","article-title":"Detection of pathogenic leptospires by real-time quantitative PCR","volume":"54","author":"Levett","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Med. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"247","DOI":"10.1016\/j.diagmicrobio.2009.03.014","article-title":"Detection of pathogenic Leptospira spp. through TaqMan polymerase chain reaction targeting the LipL32 gene","volume":"64","author":"Stoddard","year":"2009","journal-title":"Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"178","DOI":"10.1111\/tbed.12252","article-title":"Preliminary investigations on the distribution of leptospira serovars in domestic animals in north-west Morocco","volume":"63","author":"Benkirane","year":"2016","journal-title":"Transbound. Emerg. Dis."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"161","DOI":"10.1016\/0035-9203(79)90200-1","article-title":"A study of leptospirosis among animals in Barbados W.I","volume":"73","author":"Damude","year":"1979","journal-title":"Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"859","DOI":"10.1016\/0035-9203(85)90138-5","article-title":"Serological studies on leptospirosis in livestock and chickens from Grenada and Trinidad","volume":"79","author":"Everard","year":"1985","journal-title":"Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg."}],"container-title":["Veterinary Sciences"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2306-7381\/4\/1\/2\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T18:25:46Z","timestamp":1760207146000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2306-7381\/4\/1\/2"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2017,1,10]]},"references-count":14,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,3]]}},"alternative-id":["vetsci4010002"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/vetsci4010002","relation":{},"ISSN":["2306-7381"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2306-7381","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2017,1,10]]}}}