Detection of Leptospira spp. in Water Turtle (Trachemys scripta) Living in Ponds of Urban Parks

Urban parks are green areas of cities where families and children spend hours outside. Turtles often inhabit urban parks. However, even if the animals seem harmless, they may serve as both reservoirs or accidental hosts for different serotypes of spp. spp. is a waterborne zoonotic bacterium relevant for public health. Reptiles and amphibians may play a role in the epidemiology, transmission, and persistence of spp. In the present study, we observed the presence of anti-leptospiral agglutinins in a group of freshwater turtles ( ) captured in three urban ponds of the metropolitan city of Turin, Italy.