@article{fdi:010085067,
  title = {{F}ine-scale prevalence and genetic diversity of urban small mammal-borne pathogenic {L}eptospira in {A}frica : a spatiotemporal survey within {C}otonou, {B}enin},
  author = {{D}ossou, {H}. {J}. and {L}e {G}uyader, {M}. and {G}authier, {P}hilippe and {B}adou, {S}. and {E}tougbetche, {J}. and {H}ouemenou, {G}. and {D}jelouadji, {Z}. and {D}obigny, {G}authier},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{L}eptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that is caused by spirochete bacteria of the genus {L}eptospira. {A}round the world, one million people each year are infected, leading to 60,000 deaths. {I}nfection occurs through contact with environmental pathogens excreted by mammals (notably rodents). {D}ata on {L}eptospira and leptospirosis in {A}frica are rather scarce, especially in urban habitats though these appear to be favourable environments for the pathogen circulation and human contamination. {U}sing q{PCR}, {DNA} sequencing as well as {MST}/{VNTR} approaches, we examined {L}eptospira occurrence and genetic diversity in 779 commensal small mammals that were sampled over 2 years in the city centre of {C}otonou, {B}enin, from three neighbourhoods with contrasting socio-environmental conditions. {O}verall prevalence reached 9.1%. {H}owever, very marked variations in both space and time were observed, with local peaks of high prevalence but no clear seasonal pattern. {I}n most sites that could be regularly sampled, {L}eptospira-positive rodents were found at least once, thus confirming the widespread circulation of the pathogen within small mammal communities of {C}otonou. {I}nterestingly, an unusual diversity of small mammal-borne {L}eptospira species and genotypes was retrieved, with up to four species and three different genovars within the same neighbourhood, and even instances of two species and two genovars identified simultaneously within the same household. {T}o our knowledge, such a high genetic diversity has never been described at such a fine scale, a fortiori in {A}frica and, more generally, within an urban environment. {A}ltogether, our results underline that much remains unknown about leptospirosis as well as the associated infectious risk in {A}frican cities where the disease may be massively over-looked.},
  keywords = {health ecology ; leptospirosis ; rodents ; urban ecology ; zoonosis ; {BENIN} ; {COTONOU}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{Z}oonoses and {P}ublic {H}ealth},
  volume = {[{E}arly access]},
  numero = {},
  pages = {[12 p.]},
  ISSN = {1863-1959},
  year = {2022},
  DOI = {10.1111/zph.12953},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010085067},
}