Interactions between environment, wild animals and human leptospirosis

Ullmann, Leila Sabrina; Langoni, Hélio

doi:10.1590/s1678-91992011000200002

Cited by 53 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…In subtropical climate, 98.8% of Hawaiian streams revealed the presence of Leptospira (from the P2 subclade) with concentrations between 5 and 1000 genomes per 100 mL; this study highlighted a strong correlation between Leptospira concentration in water and the measured turbidity [15]. Other turbid water sources are represented by sewage water, historically linked with human contamination among sewage-workers [5,107,108]. A recent study in a Brazilian urban slum has shown that pathogenic Leptospira DNA was detected in 36% of sewage samples and even more frequently during the rainy season, with a mean concentration of 152 bacteria per mL [7].…”

Section: Leptospira In Water Environments 331 Occurrence Of Leptospmentioning

confidence: 63%

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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Section: Leptospira In Water Environments 331 Occurrence Of Leptospmentioning

confidence: 63%

A systematic review of Leptospira in water and soil environments

Bierque¹,

Thibeaux²,

Girault³

et al. 2020

PLoS ONE

152

151

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“…Continuous rain over several days or weeks keeps soil moist and forms small lakes, muddy ponds, and streams that allow leptospires to survive longer in the environment. This ultimately leads to an increase in human and animal exposure to the bacteria (Ullmann and Langoni, 2011), especially near forests and farms. Heavy rain can also unclog drains, flush out urine or infected dead animals, which contaminates water bodies and becomes a source of contagion.…”

Section: Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology of human leptospirosis in Malaysia, 2004–2012

et al. 2016

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Leptospirosis is an emerging disease, especially in countries with a tropical climate such as Malaysia. A dramatic increase in the number of cases has been reported over the last decade; however, information on the epidemiological trends of this disease is lacking. The objective of this study is to provide an epidemiological description of human leptospirosis cases over a 9-year period (2004-2012) and disease relationship with meteorological, geographical, and demographical information. A retrospective study was undertaken to describe the patterns of human leptospirosis cases and their association with intrinsic (sex, age, and ethnicity) and extrinsic (location, rainfall, and temperature) factors. Data was grouped according to age, sex, ethnicity, seasonality and geographical distribution, and analyzed using statistical tools to understand the influence of all the different factors on disease incidence. A total of 12,325 cases of leptospirosis were reported between 2004 and 2012 with an upward trend in disease incidence, with the highest in 2012. Three hundred thirty-eight deaths were reported with an overall case fatality rate of 2.74%, with higher incidence in males (9696; 78.7%) compared with female patients (2629; 21.3%), and overall male to female ratio of 3.69:1. Patients aged cohorts between 30-39 years old (16.22 per 100,000 population) had the highest disease incidence while the lowest incidence occurred between <1 to 9 years old (3.44 per 100,000 population). The average incidence was highest amongst Malays (10.97 per 100,000 population), followed by Indians (7.95 per 100,000 population). Stratification according to geographical distribution showed that the state of Malacca had the highest average disease incidence (11.12 per 100,000 population) followed by Pahang (10.08 per 100,000 population). The states of Terengganu, Kelantan, and Perak recorded similar rates of incidence (≈8.00 per 100,000 population), while Johor with the least number of reported cases (1.80 per 100,000 population). Positive relationships were recorded between the number of reported cases with the number of raining days per month and monthly average temperature (p-value<0.05). However, no significant association was noted between rainfall volume and number of reported Leptospirosis cases. This collaborative efforts between medical, academic and governmental institutions has enabled the construction of this comprehensive database that is essential to understand the disease trends in Malaysia and add insights into the prevention and control of this disease.

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“…Leptospirosis should be a major differential diagnosis of dengue-like illness, always considering the possibility of co-infection with arboviruses in endemic areas and in travelers returning from these regions, especially individuals from rural areas who have contact with domestic and wild animals [31]. Funding: This research received no external funding.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fatal Dengue, Chikungunya and Leptospirosis Co-Infection: The Febrile Patient in Tropical Areas, Importance of Co-Infection Assessment

Cardona-Ospina¹,

Ce²,

Vásquez-Serna³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Background: The febrile patient from tropical areas, in which emerging arboviruses are endemic, represent a diagnostic challenge and potential co-infections with other pathogens (i.e bacteria or parasites) are usually overlooked. Objectives: We present a case of an elderly woman diagnosed with dengue, chikungunya and Leptospira interrogans co-infection. Study Design: Case report. Results: An 87-year old woman from Colombia complained of upper abdominal pain, arthralgia, myalgia, hyporexia, malaise and intermittent fever accompanied with progressive jaundice. She had a medical history of chronic heart failure (Stage C, NYHA III), without documented cardiac murmurs, right bundle branch block, non-valvular atrial fibrillation, hypertension, and chronic venous disease. Her cardiac and pulmonary status quickly deteriorated after 24 hours of her admission without electrocardiographic changes and she required ventilatory and vasopressor support. In the next hours the patient evolved to pulseless electrical activity and then she died. Dengue IgM, NS1 ELISA, MAT for Leptospira interrogans and RT-PCR for chikungunya, were positive. Discussion: This case illustrates a multiple co-infection in a febrile patient from a tropical area of Latin America that evolved to death.

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Interactions between environment, wild animals and human leptospirosis

Cited by 53 publications

References 57 publications

A systematic review of Leptospira in water and soil environments

A systematic review of Leptospira in water and soil environments

Epidemiology of human leptospirosis in Malaysia, 2004–2012

Fatal Dengue, Chikungunya and Leptospirosis Co-Infection: The Febrile Patient in Tropical Areas, Importance of Co-Infection Assessment

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