Species differentiation of Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo strain Hardjobovis from strain Hardjoprajitno by DNA slot blot hybridisation

Slot blot hybridisation studies with total genomic DNA probes were used to compare Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo strain Hardjoprajitno, strain Hardjobovis and a number of other Leptospira interrogans serovars. Strains Hardjoprajitno and Hardjobovis were found to have little genetic relationship with each other when compared to some of the other serovars tested. Hardjoprajitno is closely related to serovar icterohaemorrhagiae and not to Hardjobovis whereas Hardjobovis is closely related to serovars vietnam, balcanica and javanica but not to serovar icterohaemorrhagiae; this places strain Hardjoprajitno in the species L interrogans and strain Hardjobovis in the species L borgpetersoni. Because of this lack of genetic relatedness between strains Hardjoprajitno and Hardjobovis, it is proposed to remove the prefix Hardjo from the strain name Hardjobovis and call it L borgpetersoni serovar hardjo strain Bovis.