Comparative genomic analysis of European strains of Leptospira interrogans serovars Copenhageni and Icterohaemorrhagiae. Leptospira interrogans

Strains of Leptospira interrogans belonging to the two very closely related serovars Copenhageni and Icterohaemorrhagiae have been associated with disease in mammalian species and are the most frequently reported agents of leptospirosis. They are considered the most pathogenic serovars and represent more than half of the leptospires encountered in severe human infections. Recent molecular and serological typing have indicated that serovar Copenhageni is predominant between strains isolated on British islands. There is a genetic diversity of VNTR patterns of the isolates but no genetic tool used in the study was able to determine serovar. To gain further insights into the genetic relatedness of the strains, we conducted whole genome sequencing of the isolated strains.