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Leptospira santarosai: A Systematic Review on Its Serological Diversity, Geographical Distribution, Natural Sources of Infection, and Human Leptospirosis

Peláez Sánchez RG, Salazar Flórez JE, Giraldo Cardona LE, Cifuentes LP, Mejía DS, Pineda S, Ossa-Yepes M, Torres-Castro M et al.

Microorganisms, 2026

1 citation

Abstract

Leptospirosis is a globally distributed zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic bacteria of the Leptospira genus. Currently, 77 genomic species have been described. Leptospira interrogans is the most extensively studied species due to its high prevalence worldwide and the severity of the disease it causes in humans and animals. However, Leptospira santarosai is an important pathogenic species in the Americas, the Caribbean islands, and Taiwan. This species has a high serological diversity: it can infect domestic, wild, and agricultural production animals, causing reproductive problems and substantial economic losses. Additionally, Leptospira santarosai has been detected in water sources and wet soils. In humans, infection with this species can lead to a wide range of clinical manifestations and severe complications. Therefore, this study aimed to synthesize available information on the serological diversity, geographical distribution, natural sources of infection, and human leptospirosis caused by Leptospira santarosai to better understand their role in the leptospirosis transmission cycle. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted, following the criteria established by the PRISMA-2020 guide, the search for scientific articles was conducted in five specialized and multidisciplinary databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO, and LILACS), and a search engine (Google Scholar). Two different search strategies (Leptospira santarosai OR L. santarosai) were…

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Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.

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