Critical Knowledge Gaps in Our Understanding of Environmental Cycling and Transmission of Leptospira spp

Barragán, Verónica; Olivas, Sonora; Keim, Paul; Pearson, Talima

doi:10.1128/aem.01190-17

Cited by 81 publications

(120 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…This seasonality pattern is comparable to other South East Asian countries such as Thailand, Laos and Indonesia where the marked incidence was recorded during the wet season [7,9,34]. The survival and longevity of leptospires once it is shed into the environment, will have a direct bearing on the infection risk which implies that environmental survival and persistence are highly dependent on environmental conditions [2].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

“…World Health Organization (WHO) has discerned leptospirosis as a neglected tropical disease of global importance, thus requiring further research to understand its epidemiology, disease biology and ecology as well as its transmission dynamics. This disease is caused by a spirochete of the genus Leptospira that colonize the kidneys of a wide diversity of peridomestic animals (rats, horses, cows, dogs, and pigs) and feral animals (bats, coyotes and sea lions) [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial Variation in the Relationship between Leptospirosis Incidence and Climate Determinants in Sarawak (Malaysia)

Kira

Bilung²,

Ngui

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Background Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by spirochete bacteria in the genus Leptospira, and it has become a significant public health challenge in Malaysia. Environmental survival and persistence of this pathogen are highly dependent on environmental conditions such as moisture content, pH and temperature. These conditions are further adapted by the natural climate system including precipitation and humidity which is highly heterogeneous at a geographical scale. This paper described the spatial and temporal distribution of leptospirosis incidence with climate factors using Geographical Information System and stratified the climate factors based on their association with the disease incidence rate. Methods Leptospirosis surveillance data from 2012-2016 were integrated into this study along with seven geo-spatial climate variables for the state of Sarawak, Malaysia. High and low clustering of incidence rate was explored by Getis Ord Gi* statistics. Geographical Weighted Regression model was utilized to study the relationship between the incidence rate and selected climate variables. Results Spatial analysis revealed seven districts in the state of Sarawak as hot spot areas, and six cold spot areas with GiZ score varies between (-3.092 to 3.203). The cumulative incidence rate demonstrated an increasing trend towards the South-East region of Sarawak with an average of 162 cases per 100,000 population. The univariate analysis reported a significant relationship (p<0.05) between leptospirosis incidence rate and temperature seasonality with the lowest AIC value of 31741.4. The results showed that temperature seasonality explained 99% (R2: 0.99) of the spatial variances in incidence rate with 42.31% of the localities showing a significant positive relationship. Conclusion The present study highlighted the importance of temperature seasonality as a potential determinant for the spatial distribution of leptospirosis cases with different strength and direction of the association. In conclusion, this suggests that specific interventions at a locality with strong climate determinants should be implemented to combat the burden of leptospirosis.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Variation in the Relationship between Leptospirosis Incidence and Climate Determinants in Sarawak (Malaysia)

Kira

Bilung²,

Ngui

et al. 2019

Preprint

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“…It is currently assumed that pathogenic virulent leptospires are unable to multiply in the environment [18,19]. However, although the survival capacity of most species outside a host is not questionable, little is known on the environmental factors and determinants conditioning this survival [20]. The capacity of Leptospira to adapt to parameters such as osmolarity inside a host or in nature was also shown to be species-specific and related to the size of the Leptospira genome [21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic review of Leptospira in water and soil environments

Bierque¹,

Thibeaux²,

Girault³

et al. 2020

PLoS ONE

152

151

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Background Leptospirosis, caused by pathogenic Leptospira, is a zoonosis of global distribution. This infectious disease is mainly transmitted by indirect exposure to urine of asymptomatic animals via the environment. As human cases generally occur after heavy rain, an emerging hypothesis suggests that rainfall re-suspend leptospires together with soil particles. Bacteria are then carried to surface water, where humans get exposed. It is currently assumed that pathogenic leptospires can survive in the environment but do not multiply. However, little is known on their capacity to survive in a soil and freshwater environment. Methods We conducted a systematic review on Leptospira and leptospirosis in the environment in order to collect current knowledge on the lifestyle of Leptospira in soil and water. In total, 86 scientific articles retrieved from online databases or institutional libraries were included in this study. Principals findings/significance This work identified evidence of survival of Leptospira in the environment but major gaps remain about the survival of virulent species associated with human and animal diseases. Studies providing quantitative data on Leptospira in soil and water are a very recent trend, but must be interpreted with caution because of the uncertainty in the species identification. Several studies mentioned the presence of Leptospira in soils more frequently than in waters, supporting the hypothesis of the soil habitat and dispersion of Leptospira with resuspended soil particles during heavy rain. In a near future, the growing use of high throughput sequencing will offer new opportunities to improve our understanding of the habitat of Leptospira in the environment. This better insight into the risk of leptospirosis will allow implementing efficient control measures and prevention for the human and animal populations exposed.

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“…Leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease caused by spirochete bacteria from the genus Leptospira (1). The disease is globally distributed but is more prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas, where temperature and humidity are favorable for Leptospira survival and persistence in the environment (2,3). Several outbreaks of leptospirosis have occurred after an extensive heavy rainfall and flooding (4)(5)(6), including a recent outbreak in Krabi province, southern Thailand, in January 2017.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Novel Genotype of <i>Leptospira interrogans</i> Recovered from Leptospirosis Outbreak Samples from Southern Thailand

Thongdee

Chaiwattanarungruengpaisan

Paisin

et al. 2019

Jpn J Infect Dis

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Critical Knowledge Gaps in Our Understanding of Environmental Cycling and Transmission of Leptospira spp

Cited by 81 publications

References 80 publications

Spatial Variation in the Relationship between Leptospirosis Incidence and Climate Determinants in Sarawak (Malaysia)

Spatial Variation in the Relationship between Leptospirosis Incidence and Climate Determinants in Sarawak (Malaysia)

A systematic review of Leptospira in water and soil environments

A Novel Genotype of <i>Leptospira interrogans</i> Recovered from Leptospirosis Outbreak Samples from Southern Thailand

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