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Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis (also known as Weil's disease, canicola fever, canefield fever, nanukayami fever or 7-day fever) is a bacterial zoonotic disease caused by spirochaetes of the genus Leptospira that affects humans and a wide range of animals, including mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. It was first described by Adolph Weil in 1886 when he reported an "acute infectious disease with enlargement of spleen, jaundice and nephritis". The pathogen, Leptospira-genus bacteria was isolated in 1907 from post mortem renal tissue slice. more...

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Though being recognised among the world's most common zoonosis, leptospirosis is a relatively rare bacterial infection in humans. The infection is commonly transmitted to humans by allowing fresh water that has been contaminated by animal urine to come in contact with unhealed breaks in the skin, eyes or with the mucous membranes.

Except for tropic areas, leptospirosis cases have a relatively distinct seasonality with most of them occurring August through September (in the Northern Hemisphere).

Causes

Leptospirosis is caused by a spirochaete bacterium called leptospira interrogans that has at least 4 different serovars of importance in the United States causing disease (icterohaemorrhagiae, canicola, pomona, grippotyphosa). There are other (less common) infectious strains. It should be however noted that genetically different leptospira organisms may be identical serologically and vice versa. Hence, an argument exists on the basis of strain identification. The traditional serologic system is seemingfully more useful from diagnostic and epidemiologic standpoint at the moment (which may change with further development and spread of technologies like PCR).

Leptospirosis is transmitted by the urine of an infected animal, and is contagious as long as it is still moist. Rats, raccoons, possums, voles, skunks, mice and even infected dogs may serve as hosts. Dogs may lick the urine of an infected animal off the grass, or drink from an infected puddle. There have even been reports of "house dogs" getting leptospirosis apparently from licking the urine of infected mice that entered the house. There is a direct correlation between the amount of rainfall and the incidence of leptospirosis.

Humans become infected through contact with water, food, or soil containing urine from these infected animals. This may happen by swallowing contaminated food or water or through skin contact. The disease is not known to be spread from person to person and cases of bacteria dissemination in convalescence are extremely rare in humans. Leptospirosis is common among watersport enthusiasts in certain areas as prolonged immersion in water is known to promote the entry of the bacteria.

Symptoms

In animals, the incubation period (time of exposure to first symptoms) is anywhere from 2 to 20 days. One should strongly suspect leptospirosis and include it as part of a differential diagnosis if the whites of the dog's eyes appear jaundiced (even slightly yellow), but the absence of jaundice does not rule out leptospirosis, and its presence could indicate hepatitis or liver pathology other rather than leptospirosis. Vomiting, failure to eat or drink, reduced urine output, unusually dark or brown urine, lethargy, and other such symptoms are also indications of the disease.

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Nephropathy in leptospirosis.(Symposium) : An article from: Journal of Postgraduate Medicine $5.95 Leptospirosis in Germany, 1962-2003.(RESEARCH) : An article from: Emerging Infectious Diseases $5.95
Leptospirosis: Very Common But Often Misdiagnosed.(Brief Article) : An article from: Family Practice News $5.95 Unusual clinical manifestations of leptospirosis.(Symposium) : An article from: Journal of Postgraduate Medicine $5.95
A global research agenda for leptospirosis.(Symposium) : An article from: Journal of Postgraduate Medicine $5.95 Leptospirosis: A Medical Dictionary, Bibliography, And Annotated Research Guide To Internet References $39.41
Environmental risk factors associated with leptospirosis infection in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) and domestic dogs in the California ecosystem : (Dissertation) $55.00 Lepto hardjo-bovis vaccine shows promise. : An article from: Dairy Today $5.95
Gel purified lipl32: A prospective antigen for detection of leptospirosis.(Original Article) : An article from: Journal of Postgraduate Medicine $5.95 Human leptospirosis: Management and prognosis.(Symposium) : An article from: Journal of Postgraduate Medicine $5.95

Leptospirosis during dengue outbreak, Bangladesh
We collected acute-phase serum samples from febrile patients at 2 major hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh, during an outbreak of dengue fever in 2001. A total of 18% of dengue-negative patients tested
Leptospirosis in Kenya
The Ministry of Health, Kenya, has reported a total number of 141 suspected cases, including six deaths, of leptospirosis in a high school in the Bungoma ...
Environmental exposure and leptospirosis, Peru
Human infection by leptospires has highly variable clinical manifestations, which range from subclinical infection to fulminant disease. We conducted ...
Reemerging leptospirosis, California
Leptospirosis is a reemerging infectious disease in California. Leptospirosis is the most widespread zoonosis throughout the world, though it is infrequently ...
Leptospirosis in "Eco-Challenge" athletes, Malaysian Borneo, 2000 - Research
Adventure travel is becoming more popular, increasing the likelihood of contact with unusual pathogens. We investigated an outbreak of leptospirosis ...
Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is a febrile disease (fever) caused by infection with the bacteria Leptospira interrogans. The disease can range from very mild and ...
Leptospirosis presenting as diffuse alveolar hemorrhage : case report and literature review - selected reports
The literature on diffuse alveolar hemorrhage heavily emphasizes the causal role of vasculitides. We present a patient with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage ...
Leptospirosis: skin wounds and control strategies, Thailand, 1999 - Research
After an outbreak of leptospirosis in workers who participated in cleaning a pond during September 1999 in Thailand, a serologic survey was conducted.

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