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Monitoring Leptospira Strain Collections: The Need for Quality Control

The purpose of this study was to perform a 16S sequence-based quality control of two Leptospira strain collections. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to verify two Leptospira reference collections provided by the World Health Organization and maintained at a reference laboratory for leptospirosis in Brazil. Among the 89 serovars evaluated, four conflicting strains were identified in one of the collections. Although 16S rRNA gene sequencing cannot identify Leptospira beyond the species level, it is suitable for the identification of contamination and quality control of leptospiral reference collections. This study highlights the importance of the availability of high-quality 16S rRNA sequences in public databases. In addition, it emphasizes the need for periodical verifications and quality control of Leptospira reference collections.

Received September 15, 2009. Accepted for publication October 26, 2009.

We wish to gratefully acknowledge the late Dr. Alejandro Lopez from the Pan American Health Organization for all his efforts to make the Leptospira strain collections described in this paper available for all interested colleagues, particularly in the Americas, and for his tireless dedication toward improving the leptospirosis situation in Latin America.

Financial support: G.M.C. was supported by CAPES foundation, Brazilian Ministry of Education. This work was supported by Bio-Manguinhos, Fiocruz (09224-7 and PDTIS RVR05), the Brazilian National Research Council (01.06.0298.00 3773/2005, 420067/2005, 554788/2006), Research Support Foundation for the State of Bahia, and the National Institutes of Health (5R01 AI052473, 2D43 TW00919).

Authors’ addresses: Gustavo M. Cerqueira, Centro de Biotecnologia, Instituto Butantan, 05503900, São Paulo, SP, Brazil, E-mails: cerqueira{at}butantan.gov.br and cerqueiragm{at}yahoo.com.br. Alan J. A. McBride, Centro de Pesquisa Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério de Saúde, Salvador, BA, 40296-710, Brazil, E-mail: alanm{at}pqvisitante.bahia.fiocruz.br. Adriano Queiroz, Hospitais das Clínicas, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brazil, E-mail: adrianoqs{at}gmail.com. Luciano S. Pinto and Éverton F. Silva, Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil, E-mails: ls_pinto{at}hotmail.com and fagonde{at}yahoo.com.br. Rudy A. Hartskeerl, Department of Biomedical Research, Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, E-mail: r.hartskeerl{at}kit.nl. Mitermayer G. Reis, Gonçalo Moniz Research Centre, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Ministry of Health, Salvador, BA, Brazil, E-mail: miter{at}bahia.fiocruz.br. Albert I. Ko, Division of Infectious Diseases, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, E-mail: aik2001{at}med.cornell.edu. Odir A. Dellagostin, Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil, E-mail: odir{at}ufpel.edu.br.

*Address correspondence to Odir A. Dellagostin, Biotechnology Centre, Federal University of Pelotas, Campus Universitário Capão do Leão, S/N, 96010-900, Pelotas, RS, Brazil. E-mail: odir{at}ufpel.edu.br