ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS CORRELATING WITH THE PRESENCE OF LEPTOSPIRACEAE IN HE‘EIA FISHPOND
| dc.contributor.advisor | Alegado, Rosanna ‘Anolani | |
| dc.creator | Rochette-Yu Tsuen, Keanu G. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-03-18T21:57:46Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-03-18T21:57:46Z | |
| dc.date.copyright | 2023 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023 | |
| dc.description | ABSTRACT Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacteria Leptospira interrogans and is disseminated in the urine of mammalian hosts (rats, swine). Mild cases involve flu-like symptoms, vomiting, and jaundice while severe cases may involve renal failure and pulmonary hemorrhage. Hawaiʻi has the highest incidence of leptospirosis in the United States due to its warm and humid climate, yet cases are likely under-diagnosed due to the non-specific nature of clinical symptoms. Taro farmers are at highest risk as freshwater habitats are near mammalian carriers. In the Heʻeia watershed in windward Oʻahu, Indigenous agriculture (loʻi) and mariculture (loko iʻa), channelized streams, and established populations of feral pigs may facilitate transmission of leptospirosis. We hypothesized that precipitation and storms increase dispersal of Leptospira. We carried out water quality sampling at the Heʻeia loko iʻa (HFP) between 2014-2015 and 2017-2019. Precipitation data were retrieved from the Hawai‘i Climate Data Portal. Metabarcoding of the 16S rDNA gene was performed on water samples. Leptospiraceae relative abundance co-varied with the seasonal precipitation and was highest in the wet season. Leptospiraceae presence is strongly correlated with storm events (R² = 0.68, p = 0.086). Relative abundance was inversely correlated with salinity within HFP (R² = 0.69, p < 0.05) and correlated to the freshwater input (R² = 0.27, p < 0.05) suggesting a riverine origin. Quantification of pathogenic Leptospira by qPCR, targeting the lipL32, which is conserved across pathogenic strains of Leptospira, showed no amplification of the target gene. Results of this project provide a better understanding of the presence of Leptospiraceae in HFP and indicate relative risks of infection for communities working in the fishpond. Keywords: Leptospirosis, Zoonotic disease, Microbial Source Tracking | |
| dc.description.abstract | Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacteria Leptospira interrogans and is disseminated in the urine of mammalian hosts (rats, swine). Mild cases involve flu-like symptoms, vomiting, and jaundice while severe cases may involve renal failure and pulmonary hemorrhage. Hawaiʻi has the highest incidence of leptospirosis in the United States due to its warm and humid climate, yet cases are likely under-diagnosed due to the non-specific nature of clinical symptoms. Taro farmers are at highest risk as freshwater habitats are near mammalian carriers. In the Heʻeia watershed in windward Oʻahu, Indigenous agriculture (loʻi) and mariculture (loko iʻa), channelized streams, and established populations of feral pigs may facilitate transmission of leptospirosis. We hypothesized that precipitation and storms increase dispersal of Leptospira. We carried out water quality sampling at the Heʻeia loko iʻa (HFP) between 2014-2015 and 2017-2019. Precipitation data were retrieved from the Hawai‘i Climate Data Portal. Metabarcoding of the 16S rDNA gene was performed on water samples. Leptospiraceae relative abundance co-varied with the seasonal precipitation and was highest in the wet season. Leptospiraceae presence is strongly correlated with storm events (R² = 0.68, p = 0.086). Relative abundance was inversely correlated with salinity within HFP (R² = 0.69, p < 0.05) and correlated to the freshwater input (R² = 0.27, p < 0.05) suggesting a riverine origin. Quantification of pathogenic Leptospira by qPCR, targeting the lipL32, which is conserved across pathogenic strains of Leptospira, showed no amplification of the target gene. Results of this project provide a better understanding of the presence of Leptospiraceae in HFP and indicate relative risks of infection for communities working in the fishpond. Keywords: Leptospirosis, Zoonotic disease, Microbial Source Tracking | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10125/110492 | |
| dc.language | eng | |
| dc.language | haw | |
| dc.rights | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ | |
| dc.title | ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS CORRELATING WITH THE PRESENCE OF LEPTOSPIRACEAE IN HE‘EIA FISHPOND | |
| dcterms.rights | Rochette-Yu Tsuen, Keanu G. | |
| dcterms.type | Text |