Detection of <i>Leptospira</i> species in bat cadavers, Czech and Slovak Republics

Kidney samples from 300 bat cadavers from the Czech and Slovak Republics were tested for <i>Leptospira</i> DNA using PCR and sequencing of three genes (<i>lipL32</i>, <i>flab</i>, and 16S ribosomal RNA). Overall detection rate was 4.7% and two bat species (<i>Myotis myotis</i> and <i>Nyctalus noctula</i>) were PCR-positive for at least one gene. Detected <i>Leptospira</i> sequences were similar to <i>L. interrogans</i> and <i>L. borgpetersenii</i>, and included a potentially novel species related to <i>L. weilii</i>.