Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of global importance caused by an obligate aerobic spirochaete that infects a wide variety of domestic and wild animals. Natural hosts are asymptomatic or show moderate signs of the disease. Accidental hosts develop a severe, often lethal, form of the disease. All young southern tamanduas died suddenly at the zoo in the city of João Pessoa, Brazil. The animals were found dead without any noticeable clinical signs. Necropsy revealed extensive haemorrhage in the subcutaneous tissues, kidneys, lungs in addition to the presence of red fluid in the thoracic, abdominal and pericardial cavities. Histopathology of kidneys exhibited acute interstitial nephritis and tubular necrosis. Immunohistochemical staining revealed typical leptospiral wavy forms and aggregates in the lumen of several kidney tubules and lungs. Pathological and molecular investigations confirmed Leptospira interrogans infection. The adult tamanduas did not present with clinical alterations. To our knowledge, this investigation is the first study to report that leptospirosis should be considered as a possible cause of death in tamanduas. This article warns of the risks of anthropization with respect to Leptospira transmission to tamanduas, other animals and humans.

中文翻译：

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巴西南部 Tamandua（Tamandua tetradactyla，Linnaeus，1758）的问号钩端螺旋体感染。

钩端螺旋体病是一种具有全球重要性的人畜共患疾病，由感染多种家养和野生动物的专性需氧螺旋体引起。自然宿主无症状或表现出中度的疾病体征。意外宿主会患上严重且通常致命的疾病。在巴西若昂佩索阿市的动物园里，所有年轻的南方小食蚁兽都突然死亡。这些动物被发现死亡，没有任何明显的临床症状。尸检显示，除了胸腔、腹腔和心包腔中存在红色液体外，皮下组织、肾脏、肺部也有大量出血。肾脏组织病理学显示急性间质性肾炎和肾小管坏死。免疫组织化学染色显示在几个肾小管和肺的管腔中存在典型的钩端螺旋体波状形式和聚集体。病理学和分子学研究证实问号钩端螺旋体感染。成年小食蚁兽没有出现临床改变。据我们所知，这项调查是第一项报告钩端螺旋体病应被视为食蚁兽死亡的可能原因的研究。本文警告钩端螺旋体传播给食蚁兽、其他动物和人类的人为化风险。