Leptospirosis is a zoonosis of global distribution, caused by the infection of pathogenic Leptospira, a group of bacteria capable of infecting both domestic and wild animals. Mink (Neovison vison) in southern Chile is recognized as a wild and synanthropic rodent predator (among various other prey), and Leptospira infection in them can be acquired through contact with the pathogen in the environment or by eating infected prey. Thus, the aim of this study was to provide more specifics regarding the source of the infection for the American mink under the conditions of Southern Chile. Minks were captured in the Los Ríos region, southern Chile, in an area with well-developed dairy farming. Two areas were selected for mink trapping, one with a high degree of dairy farming and a second with a low degree of dairy farming. Within them, 16 study sites were visited, and 45 American mink were trapped and euthanized to obtain kidney tissue and blood serum samples for bacteria isolation and determination of antibodies titers, respectively. Molecular characterization of the isolated strains was performed. Three minks from sites of high-dairy farming industry and only one from sites with low-degree dairy farming were detected as infected through molecular confirmation. This study shows evidence that confirms previous findings made in southern Chile, regarding mink as host of Leptospira interrogans serovar Hardjo-prajitno associated to cattle-farming areas. However, typing information (Leptospira interrogans Copenhageni and Icterohaemorrhagiae) suggests that the consumption of rodents may also be a potential source of infection.

钩端螺旋体病是一种全球分布的人畜共患病，是由致病性钩端螺旋体（一种能够同时感染家畜和野生动物的细菌）感染引起的。智利南部的水貂（Neovison vison）被公认为是野生和合人类的啮齿动物捕食者（包括其他各种猎物）和钩端螺旋体可以通过与环境中的病原菌接触或食用被感染的猎物来获得它们的感染。因此，本研究的目的是提供有关智利南部条件下美国水貂感染源的更多细节。貂皮在智利南部洛斯里奥斯地区的一个发达的奶牛养殖场被捕。选择了两个区域进行貂皮捕获，一个区域的奶牛养殖程度很高，第二个区域的奶牛养殖程度很低。在其中，访问了16个研究地点，将45只美国水貂捕获并实施安乐死，以分别获取肾脏组织和血清样本以分离细菌并确定抗体滴度。对分离出的菌株进行分子表征。通过分子确认，发现来自高级奶牛场的三只貂和来自低度奶牛场的一只貂被感染。这项研究显示的证据证实了之前在智利南部关于水貂为宿主的发现。与牛饲养区有关的问号钩端螺旋体血清型Hardjo-prajitno。然而，打字信息（问号钩端螺旋体哥本哈根和肠出血性出血热）表明，啮齿动物的消费也可能是潜在的感染源。