Animal reservoirs of leptospirosis in the US Virgin Islands

This project evaluated 91 Leptospira isolates (L. borgpetersenii, L. kirschneri, L. interrogans) isolated from 73 animals: mongoose (Herpestus aurapunctata), rodents (Mus muscularis and Rattus rattus), and domestic canines (Canis canis). Bacterial isolates were obtained as part of a collaborative effort led by the US Virgin Islands Department of Health to understand animal reservoirs of leptospirosis, and their genomic epidemiology and risk to human health in the Caribbean.