Author: Miladin Kostovic

# australis

- `Genus:............ Leptospira`
- `Species:.......... interrogans`
- `Serogroup:........ Australis`
- `Serovar:.......... australis`
- `Strain:........... Ballico`
- `Year:............. 1937`
- `Origin:........... Human`
- `Country:.......... Australia`

### History of serovar:

The strain was isolated by Cotter and Sawers from a patient in North Queensland during an outbreak of leptospsirosis in 1934 (Cotter, Sawers, 1934). Lumley (1937) described the strain as representing a new serogroup named "Australis A". The new serovar first appeared in the list of Wolff and Broom (194).

The strain was submitted to factor analysis by Kmety (1960), who confirmed its separate serological status. In Dikken and Kmety's publication (1978) the whole Australis group is subdivided into two subgroups: Australis and Jalna. Ballico is the representative strain of the subgroup Australis.

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