To date, 21 species and .300 serovars have been identifiedin the genus Leptospira, among which five ‘intermediate’species (Leptospira inadai, Leptospira broomii, Leptospira fainei, Leptospira wolffii and Leptospira licerasiae) are of unclear pathogenicity and form a group distinct from those that are known pathogens and saprophytes (Cerqueira & Picardeau, 2009).