Author: Miladin Kostovic

# javanica

- `Genus:............ Leptospira`
- `Species:.......... borgpetersenii`
- `Serogroup:........ Javanica`
- `Serovar:.......... javanica`
- `Strain:........... Veldrat Batavia 46`
- `Year:............. 1938`
- `Origin:........... Field rats (Rattus rattus brevicaudatus)`
- `Country:.......... Indonesia`

### History of serovar:

Twelve of the srains isolated in 1938 from fieldrats (Rattus rattus brevicaudatus) trapped near Ambarawa, Indonesia, (Sardjito et al., 1937) were studied by Esseveld et a. (1938). Eleven were found to represent a new serovar javanica with typ strain R. Ambawara 94 (RA 94).

Previously in 1937 Esseveld had isolated in Jakarta (Batavia), Java, Indonesia, leptospiral strains from cats, among them the well studied strain K 49, which gave similar agglutination reactions to RA 94. Therefore Esseveld and Collier(1938) concluded that strain K 49 belonged to the recently described serovar javanica.

During that period Esseveld, Collier and Mochtar investigated about 3000 trapped animals near Jakarta (Batavia), Java (Gispen 1939). During that investigation strain Veldrat Batavia 46 was probably isolated. In a previous publication Esseveld (1938) quoted this strain as the reference strain for serovar javanica. The strain was submitted to factor analysis by Kmety (1963), who confirmed its serological status.

It can be concluded that strain K 49 is one of the original isolates which was used as the reference strain during the early investigations to represent this serovar. It was belived that this strain was lostduring the Second World War. Later it was found that strain K 49 was kept in the Eykman Institute, yJakarta (Batavia) and sent by Mochtar to Prof. Yamamoto during May 1942. In 1976 Prof. Yamamoto forwarded the strain to the reference laboratory in Amsterdam, where it was typed and found to belong to the same serovar as Veldrat Batavia 46.

Since strain K 49 and Veldrat Batavia 46 were isolated and described during the same period in 1938, both strains could have been considered as reference strains. However Veldrat Batavia 46 has for long been used as such and therefore takes precedence.

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