LEPTOSPIROSIS IN THE REPUBLIC OF GUINEA



Cite item

Full Text

Abstract

Abstract

Leptospirosis is an acute zoonotic infection caused by pathogenic bacteria from the genus Leptospira. Leptospirosis creates significant though underdiagnosed public health problems in Africa. The Republic of Guinea (Guinea) is a country in West Africa, its capital is Conakry. The study objective was to assess the prevalence of the leptospirosis in febrile patients in the Republic of Guinea. We analyzed 827 blood serum samples obtained from febrile patients who applied to municipal health services, in the period from 2020 to 2024. RT-PCR was used to test 627 blood serum samples for the presence of genetic material of pathogenic Leptospira spp. Genotyping of positive samples was performed with the help of primers selected for a fragment of the secY gene. As a result of our study, IgG antibodies to Leptospira spp. were detected in 202 blood serum samples, which amounted to 24.4%.154 blood serum samples (18.6%) were positive for IgM to Leptospira spp. In 80 of the 276 positive samples both antibodies (IgG and IgM) were detected, 122 samples contained only IgG, while 74 only IgM. Leptospira spp. DNA was detected in 5 (0.8%) of 657 serum samples tested for the presence genetic markers of pathogenic leptospira. Sanger sequencing was applied to all 5 samples, and for three samples it resulted in successful leptospira genotyping, but it failed for two other samples may be due to insufficient amount of DNA or its degradation. When analyzed according to the BLAST algorithm, the obtained sequences revealed 100% similarity to those of L. kirschneri that was further confirmed by clustering when constructing the phylogenetic tree. Our study revealed high level of antibodies to leptospirosis in febrile patients, which bear witness to the wide spread of this pathogen in the Republic of Guinea. Joint research with international organizations can provide valuable information on the epidemiology of leptospirosis and improve control and prevention of the disease.

About the authors

Regina R Baimova

St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

Email: baimova@pasteurorg.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0145-2653

Junior Researcher, Laboratory of Zooanthroponotic Infections

Россия

Islam A. Karmokov

St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

Email: karmokov2013@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3820-7106
SPIN-code: 8660-4404
Scopus Author ID: 57770227300

Junior Researcher, Laboratory of Zoonoses; Resident Physician, Department of Epidemiology, Parasitology and Disinfectology

Россия, St. Petersburg; St. Petersburg

Ekaterina G. Riabiko

St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

Email: katya.ryabiko@mail.ru

Junior Researcher, Laboratory of Zoonoses; Resident Physician, Department of Epidemiology, Parasitology and Disinfectology

Россия, St. Petersburg; St. Petersburg

Erik S Khalilov

Federal State Institution of Health "North-West Anti-Plague Station" of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, St. Petersburg, Russia

Email: erik.khalilov@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0599-4302

Biologist of the Virology Laboratory 

Россия, Nevelskaya st., 3, St. Petersburg, 198035

Olga V. Blinova

St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

Email: zoonoses@mail.ru

PhD (Chemistry), Junior Researcher, Laboratory of Zoonoses

Россия, St. Petersburg

Nikolay K. Tokarevich

St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

Email: zoonoses@mail.ru

DSc (Medicine), Professor, Head of the Laboratory of Zoonoses

Россия, St. Petersburg

S. Boumbaly

Virology Research Center (CRV), Guinea Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers Laboratory. Conakry, Republic of Guinea

Email: drboumbaly@yahoo.fr

PhD (Microbiology), Director General 

Гвинея, Conakry

Alimou Camara

Virology Research Center (CRV), Guinea Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers Laboratory. Conakry, Republic of Guinea

Email: alimou.4camara@gmail.com

PhD (Immunology), Deputy Director General 

Гвинея, Conakry

Barré Soropogui

Virology Research Center (CRV), Guinea Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers Laboratory. Conakry, Republic of Guinea

Email: Barresoropogui@gmail.com

Head of the Molecular Biology Laboratory

Гвинея, Conakry

J. Camara

Virology Research Center (CRV), Guinea Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers Laboratory. Conakry, Republic of Guinea

Email: Jacob2240@gmail.com

Head of the Genomics Laboratory 

Гвинея, Conakry

F. Berete

Virology Research Center (CRV), Guinea Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers Laboratory. Conakry, Republic of Guinea

Author for correspondence.
Email: fantabere012015@gmail.com

Head of the Immunology Laboratory 

Гвинея, Conakry

References

  1. Баимова Р.Р., Рябико Е.Г., Останкова Ю.В., Токаревич Н.К. Оптимизация способа детекции и генотипирования патогенных лептоспир в биологических образцах. Клиническая лабораторная диагностика. 2025; 70 (3): 210-217 Baimova R.R., Ryabiko E.G., Ostankova Yu.V., Tokarevich N.K. (2025). Optimization of the method for detection and genotyping of pathogenic leptospires in biological samples. Clinical laboratory diagnostics (Russian journal) vol.70(3), pp.210-217 https://doi.org/10.51620/0869-2084-2025-70-3-210-217
  2. Allan, K. J., Biggs, H. M., Halliday, J. E., Kazwala, R. R., Maro, V. P., Cleaveland, S., & Crump, J. A. (2015). Epidemiology of Leptospirosis in Africa: A Systematic Review of a Neglected Zoonosis and a Paradigm for 'One Health' in Africa. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 9(9), e0003899. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0003899
  3. Boland, M., Sayers, G., Coleman, T., Bergin, C., Sheehan, N., Creamer, E., O'Connell, M., Jones, L., & Zochowski, W. (2004). A cluster of leptospirosis cases in canoeists following a competition on the River Liffey. Epidemiology and infection, 132(2), 195–200. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0950268803001596
  4. de Vries, S. G., Visser, B. J., Stoney, R. J., Wagenaar, J. F. P., Bottieau, E., Chen, L. H., Wilder-Smith, A., Wilson, M., Rapp, C., Leder, K., Caumes, E., Schwartz, E., Hynes, N. A., Goorhuis, A., Esposito, D. H., Hamer, D. H., Grobusch, M. P., & For The GeoSentinel Surveillance Network (2018). Leptospirosis among Returned Travelers: A GeoSentinel Site Survey and Multicenter Analysis-1997-2016. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 99(1), 127–135. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.18-0020
  5. Dobigny, G., Garba, M., Tatard, C., Loiseau, A., Galan, M., Kadaouré, I., Rossi, J. P., Picardeau, M., & Bertherat, E. (2015). Urban Market Gardening and Rodent-Borne Pathogenic Leptospira in Arid Zones: A Case Study in Niamey, Niger. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 9(10), e0004097.
  6. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0004097
  7. Fischer, S., Mayer-Scholl, A., Imholt, C., Spierling, N. G., Heuser, E., Schmidt, S., Reil, D., Rosenfeld, U. M., Jacob, J., Nöckler, K., & Ulrich, R. G. (2018). Leptospira Genomospecies and Sequence Type Prevalence in Small Mammal Populations in Germany. Vector borne and zoonotic diseases (Larchmont, N.Y.), 18(4), 188–199. https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2017.2140
  8. Franceschi, C., Salvioli, S., Garagnani, P., de Eguileor, M., Monti, D., & Capri, M. (2017). Immunobiography and the Heterogeneity of Immune Responses in the Elderly: A Focus on Inflammaging and Trained Immunity. Frontiers in immunology, 8, 982. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2017.00982
  9. Gizamba, J. M., & Mugisha, L. (2023). Leptospirosis in humans and selected animals in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2014-2022: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC infectious diseases, 23(1), 649. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-023-08574-5
  10. Gurman, T. A., Diallo, K., Larson, E., Sugg, K., & Tibbels, N. (2024). Balancing the uncertain and unpredictable nature of possible zoonotic disease transmission with the value placed on animals: Findings from a qualitative study in Guinea. PLOS global public health, 4(3), e0001174. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001174
  11. Koffi, S. K., Meite, S., Ouattara, A., Kouassi, S. K., Aboubacar, S., Akran, V. A., Bourhy, P., & Dosso, M. (2018). Geographic distribution of anti-Leptospira antibodies in humans in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa. European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology, 37(11), 2177–2180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-018-3359-7
  12. Mane S. (2017). Revue des filières betail/viande & lait et des politiques qui les influences en Guinée. Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’alimentation et l’agriculture 2017. Mane S. (2017). Review of the livestock/meat & dairy sectors and the policies that influence them in Guinea. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2017. https://www.fao.org/3/i5268f/i5268f.pdf
  13. Mayer-Scholl, A., Teifke, J. P., Huber, N., Luge, E., Bier, N. S., Nöckler, K., & Ulrich, R. G. (2019). Leptospira spp. in Rodents and Shrews from Afghanistan. Journal of wildlife diseases, 55(2), 477–481. https://doi.org/10.7589/2018-05-122
  14. Oruganti, P., Root, E., Ndlovu, V., Mbhungele, P., Van Wyk, I., & Berrian, A. M. (2023). Gender and zoonotic pathogen exposure pathways in a resource-limited community, Mpumalanga, South Africa: A qualitative analysis. PLOS global public health, 3(6), e0001167. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001167
  15. Palma, F. A. G., Costa, F., Lustosa, R., Mogaji, H. O., de Oliveira, D. S., Souza, F. N., Reis, M. G., Ko, A. I., Begon, M., & Khalil, H. (2022). Why is leptospirosis hard to avoid for the impoverished? Deconstructing leptospirosis transmission risk and the drivers of knowledge, attitudes, and practices in a disadvantaged community in Salvador, Brazil. PLOS global public health, 2(12), e0000408. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0000408
  16. Paquet, D., Jung, L., Trawinski, H., Wendt, S., & Lübbert, C. (2022). Fever in the Returning Traveler. Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 119(22), 400–407. https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.m2022.0182
  17. Roqueplo, C., Kodjo, A., Demoncheaux, J. P., Scandola, P., Bassene, H., Diatta, G., Sokhna, C., Raoult, D., Davoust, B., & Mediannikov, O. (2019). Leptospirosis, one neglected disease in rural Senegal. Veterinary medicine and science, 5(4), 536–544. https://doi.org/10.1002/vms3.186
  18. Soares, P. M., Gomes, D. O., Macedo, F. P., Soares, M. M., Lemes, K. R., Jaeger, L. H., Lilenbaum, W., & Lima, A. M. C. (2020). Serological and molecular characterization of Leptospira kirschneri serogroup Grippotyphosa isolated from bovine in Brazil. Microbial pathogenesis, 138, 103803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2019.103803
  19. World Health Organization 2025 data.who.int, Guinea [Country overview]. (Accessed on 8 May 2025) https://data.who.int/countries/324
  20. Yadeta, W., Bashahun, G.M., Abdela, N. (2016). Leptospirosis in animal and its public health implications: a review. World Applied Sciences Journal 34 (6): 845-853. https://doi.org/10.5829/idosi.wasj.2016.34.6.103113
  21. Zhang, Y., Ye, F., Xia, L. X., Zhu, L. W., Kamara, I. L., Huang, K. Q., Zhang, Y., Liu, J., Kargbo, B., Wang, J., Liang, M. F., Song, J. D., Ma, X. J., & Wu, G. Z. (2019). Next-generation Sequencing Study of Pathogens in Serum from Patients with Febrile Jaundice in Sierra Leone. Biomedical and environmental sciences : BES, 32(5), 363–370. https://doi.org/10.3967/bes2019.048

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML

Copyright (c) Baimova R.R., Karmokov I.A., Riabiko E.G., Khalilov E.S., Blinova O.V., Tokarevich N.K., Boumbaly S., Camara A., Soropogui B., Camara J., Berete F.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

СМИ зарегистрировано Федеральной службой по надзору в сфере связи, информационных технологий и массовых коммуникаций (Роскомнадзор).
Регистрационный номер и дата принятия решения о регистрации СМИ: серия ПИ № ФС 77 - 64788 от 02.02.2016.


This website uses cookies

You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website.

About Cookies