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New insights on the infection of pathogenic Leptospira species in American mink (Neovison vison) in southern Chile

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Abstract

Leptospirosis is a zoonosis of global distribution, caused by the infection of pathogenic Leptospira, a group of bacteria capable of infecting both domestic and wild animals. Mink (Neovison vison) in southern Chile is recognized as a wild and synanthropic rodent predator (among various other prey), and Leptospira infection in them can be acquired through contact with the pathogen in the environment or by eating infected prey. Thus, the aim of this study was to provide more specifics regarding the source of the infection for the American mink under the conditions of Southern Chile. Minks were captured in the Los Ríos region, southern Chile, in an area with well-developed dairy farming. Two areas were selected for mink trapping, one with a high degree of dairy farming and a second with a low degree of dairy farming. Within them, 16 study sites were visited, and 45 American mink were trapped and euthanized to obtain kidney tissue and blood serum samples for bacteria isolation and determination of antibodies titers, respectively. Molecular characterization of the isolated strains was performed. Three minks from sites of high-dairy farming industry and only one from sites with low-degree dairy farming were detected as infected through molecular confirmation. This study shows evidence that confirms previous findings made in southern Chile, regarding mink as host of Leptospira interrogans serovar Hardjo-prajitno associated to cattle-farming areas. However, typing information (Leptospira interrogans Copenhageni and Icterohaemorrhagiae) suggests that the consumption of rodents may also be a potential source of infection.

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Acknowledgments

This study was possible thanks to the regional government of Los Ríos and the “Programa De Control Comunitario Del Visón en la Región De Los Ríos” (community mink control program in the Los Ríos Region) IDI 30376022 and the Agriculture and Livestock service of the Los Ríos region. Special thanks to Carla Marchese and Diego Gallardo (veterinarians of the mink control initiative) for mink capture and sampling that made this study possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Medicina Preventiva Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile

    Miguel Angel Salgado Alfaro, María Isabel Bustos, Camilo Tomckowiack & Carlos Tejeda

  2. Servicio Agrícola Ganadero; Región de los Ríos, Valdivia, Chile

    Eduardo Raffo

  3. Instituto de Bioquímica y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile

    Luis Collado

  4. Centro de Investigación para la Sustentabilidad, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile

    Gonzalo Medina-Vogel

Authors
  1. Miguel Angel Salgado Alfaro
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  2. Eduardo Raffo
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  3. María Isabel Bustos
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  4. Camilo Tomckowiack
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  5. Carlos Tejeda
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  6. Luis Collado
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  7. Gonzalo Medina-Vogel
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Correspondence to Miguel Angel Salgado Alfaro.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Statement of animal rights

The authors declare that the present study does not contain clinical studies or patient data. Animals were handled strictly according to the recommendations in the Universidad Austral de Chile’s guide on the use of animals for research (https://www.uach.cl/organizacion/vicerrectoria-investigacion-desarrollo-y-creacion-artistica/utiles/subcomite-en-uso-de-animales-en-investigacion). Since American Mink in Chile is considered an invasive species, therefore, it can be hunted on all the Chilean territory without quotas or hunting seasons (Chilean law No. 19.473, article 6 of the current regulation).

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Alfaro, M.A.S., Raffo, E., Bustos, M.I. et al. New insights on the infection of pathogenic Leptospira species in American mink (Neovison vison) in southern Chile. Trop Anim Health Prod 53, 2 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-020-02469-2

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