Somjit ChaiwattanarungruengpaisanSarin SuwanpakdeeNareerat SangkachaiTatiyanuch ChamsaiKanokwan TaruyanonMetawee ThongdeeNational Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, ThailandMahidol University2019-08-282019-08-282018-01-01Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases. Vol.71, No.1 (2018), 65-6718842836134463042-s2.0-85040935878https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/47107© 2018, National Institute of Health. All rights reserved. We collected water and soil samples from a waterfall in Thailand to investigate the presence of potentially pathogenic Leptospira. Isolation of Leptospira from all the 17 environmental samples was successful. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, a diverse group of Leptospira species was recovered from waterfall samples including 2 pathogenic species (Leptospira alstonii [5/17, 29%] and Leptospira kmetyi [1/17, 6%]); 1 intermediate species (Leptospira wolffii [9/17, 53%]); and 2 non-pathogenic species (Leptospira meyeri [1/17, 6%] and Leptospira idonii [1/17, 6%]). The high prevalence of pathogenic and intermediate Leptospira indicates that a waterfall may serve as a natural reservoir of possible pathogens of leptospirosis.Mahidol UniversityMedicineArticleSCOPUS10.7883/yoken.JJID.2017.363