What is there to know about leptospirosis? Danger to humans and animals?

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease caused by a zoonotic disease transmissible to humans. It is an acute infectious disease. The course can be similar to influenza, but also like meningitis with liver and kidney damage.

The causative agent is a bacterium of the genus Leptospira.

The reservoir is more than 15 species of mammals, which include mainly rats, mice, dogs, pigs.

Leptospira is a flexible spirochete with internal flagella.

There are 7 known species of leptospira in 23 serogroups of over 200 species. They can cause a variety of symptoms:

• Leptospira icterohaemoorrhagiae - Weil's disease. Its reservoir is the rat.
• Leptospira grippotyphosa - Also known as field fever, pig farmer's disease, rice field disease. Reservoirs of infection are field voles, mice, rodents.
• Leptospira canicola - Stuttgart disease of dogs, in which the reservoir of infection is the dog.
• Leptospira pomona - A disease of pig feeders. The reservoir of disease is the dusky mouse, domestic pig, rabbit, rat, cattle.
• Leptospira tarassovi - Called water fever.
• Leptospira sejroe - Called field fever and transmitted by field rodents (field mice), house mouse.
• Leptospira bratislava - An anticercal leptospirosis, transmitted by hedgehog, pig.

Leptospires are found everywhere in the world, but the highest incidence is in tropical and warmer regions. There is an increased risk when travelling to Oceania (Australia, Pacific Islands, New Zealand), sub-Saharan Africa, parts of Latin America, Asia.

Weil's disease

The causative agent of the disease is Leptospira icterohemorrhagica. It has a typical jaundice pattern. One of the most well-known diseases caused by leptospires.

This disease is more common after floods when zoonotic rats are flushed out of the sewers.

Carriers are rodents, especially rats, field forest rodents, hedgehogs, but also birds, domestic animals such as pigs, cattle and dogs.

Leptospirosis bacteria are spread by the urine of an infected animal. After the animal urinates, they enter water and soil where they survive for weeks or months. They survive well in fresh water, mud and moist soil in warm areas.

Humans can become infected through direct contact with the animal's urine or other body fluids, including saliva. The disease is also spread by contaminated food, ingestion of infected water, inadequately cooked food from animals, broken skin or skin soaked in water, and mucous membranes.

Once infected, the bacteria pass into the blood of humans.

Infected animals may not show any signs of illness, yet they continually shed the bacteria.

What infections can rodents transmit?

Rodents do not only transmit leptospira, but also other diseases such as:

Hantavirus is one of the viruses spread among rodents that is transmissible to humans. The disease is transmitted by infected rodents through droppings, urine and saliva.

Humans can become infected through direct contact, rodent bites, and by inhaling dust particles of infected urine or droppings.

Symptoms range from mild to very severe.

It manifests itself with fever, abdominal pain, kidney disease, mottled bleeding in the skin to massive bleeding in the digestive tract and lungs.

Plague is a bacterial disease transmitted by an infected animal.

Rabies is a viral disease of mammals that is transmissible to humans. The disease affects the central nervous system. It manifests itself in disturbances of consciousness, irritability, paralysis and even paralysis. The disease usually ends in death.

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis is a viral disease transmitted by rodents, especially mice inhabiting human dwellings. The virus can also be transmitted by domestic rats and mice.

It is transmitted by inhalation of contaminated secretions, contact with faeces, less commonly by ingestion of contaminated food, bites, direct contact through broken skin.

Manifestations include fever, chills, muscle cramps, headache, malaise, nausea, inappetence, vomiting and rash.

Tularemia is a bacterial disease transmitted by direct contact, ingestion of contaminated water or food from an infected animal, especially small rodents and rabbits.

The disease is manifested by swollen lymph nodes, pneumonia and diarrhoea.

Salmonellosis is a bacterial disease transmissible from animals to humans. Salmonella bacteria can be transmitted by rodents, birds that infect poultry feed and thus infect poultry.

Poorly stored food can also become infected. You can become infected by eating contaminated food, poorly cooked food.

It manifests itself with fever, nausea, abdominal cramps, greenish diarrhoeal stools.

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Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease caused by a spirochete of the genus Leptospira. It is a spirally coiled bacterium that survives in moist environments.

The bacteria first infect the animal. They can survive for several years in the kidneys. Then they enter the human body directly or indirectly.

The infected animal excretes the leptospira in its urine, contaminating water, soil and food.

How can you get leptospirosis?

• By indirect transmission - by consuming infected water, bathing in water in the open
• Direct transmission - by direct contact with an animal

The bacteria can also enter the body through broken skin, a wound, a scratch or even mucous membranes, eyes, nose, mouth.

In Weil's disease, the most common cause of infection is contact with rodents, sewer rats or consumption of infected water.

Veterinarians, sewage workers, rendering plant workers, meat packers and farmers are more likely to contract the disease.

Human-to-human transmission is possible through the urine of an infected person.

Prevention

• Do not bathe in water that may be contaminated with animal urine.
• Take a shower as soon as possible after bathing in the open air.
• Wash your hands with soap and water after touching an animal or meat from an animal.
• If you have wounds on your skin, clean them properly, disinfect them and cover them with waterproof wound dressings.
• Wear protective clothing if you are at risk of contact with an infected animal or its urine.
• If you have a pet, have it vaccinated against leptospirosis.
• Do not touch soil contaminated with animal urine.
• Do not touch dead animals with your bare hands.
• Do not drink water from rivers, lakes or other potentially contaminated sources. Boil the water thoroughly first.

Read also .

Pets and leptospirosis

If your pet has leptospirosis, protect yourself:

• Give your pet antibiotics from your veterinarian.
• Avoid contact with the animal's urine. If it urinates at home, clean up the urine immediately and protect yourself with gloves.
• If you walk your pet, don't allow it to urinate near water, lakes, benches, playgrounds or where its urine could come into contact with people.
• Wash your hands regularly with soap after contact with the animal.

The first symptoms of infection depend on several factors, such as the infectious dose, the state of immunity, the age of the person.

The incubation period usually ranges from 4 to 19 days.

The disease can be asymptomatic but can also be life-threatening.

Most often, the first symptoms of the disease manifest themselves as:

• sudden high fever of 39-40 °C
• chills
• chills
• cough
• headache
• muscle pain, especially in the neck and calves
• conjunctivitis
• indigestion
• pneumonia
• enlargement of the spleen
• enlargement of the lymph nodes
• increased bleeding
• jaundice
• abdominal pain
• diarrhoea
• rash

At a later stage, symptoms appear:

• meningitis
• kidney, liver and heart disease
• jaundice
• bleeding conditions

Leptospira in pregnancy

Leptospira in pregnancy can cause miscarriage, premature birth and also fetal necrosis.

Congenital disease caused by leptospires in a newborn is rare.

In the newborn, it manifests as:

• blood poisoning with blue discoloration of the limbs, fingers and lips
• convulsions
• symptoms of meningeal disease

Weil's disease

Leptospira is present in the blood in the first week of the disease. It manifests itself by the following symptoms:

• High temperature
• Pain in the head, neck and muscles, often in the calves
• Increased bleeding
• Small blood spots on the skin
• Bleeding in the digestive tract, brain

In the next stage, jaundice and enlargement of the liver appear.

In some cases, skin seeding and meningitis also occur. Liver failure may occur. In severe cases, renal failure also occurs.

In severe Weil syndrome, symptoms such as:

• Coughing up blood
• Chest pain
• Severe jaundice
• Tarry, black stools
• Blood in the urine
• Decreased amount of urine
• Red flat spots on the skin

Possible complications of leptospirosis:

• Inflammation of the meninges
• Liver failure
• Kidney damage
• Respiratory problems
• Shock
• May cause fetal death in pregnant women

Symptoms of leptospirosis in dogs and pets

In animals, symptoms are bland and nonspecific.

In some animals it is completely asymptomatic.

In dogs, symptoms such as:

• fever
• vomiting
• abdominal pain
• diarrhoea
• food refusal
• weakness
• depression
• stiffness
• significant muscle pain
• infertility in females

Read also: Parasites, pets and health? Distribution, symptoms and treatment

It is important to obtain a medical history and establish contact with rodents, animals or the possibility of consuming contaminated water, travel history.

Investigation techniques are as follows:

• Blood and urine sampling. Elevated bilirubin and liver function tests from blood are detected on examination. Elevated sedimentation is also present.
• Leptospira can also be demonstrated by blood collection for haemoculture at high temperatures or urine during the first week. Positive samples for leptospires are present for up to a year with a peak around week 4.
• Lung X-ray.
• CT scan.
• Another method is serological ELISA or microscopic agglutination test for leptospirosis antibodies.
• Lumbar puncture.

The course of the infection begins with infection from an animal or its urine and the penetration of the bacteria through the skin, mucous membranes. Thus, the bacteria get into the blood of a person, where they multiply.

The disease can take different courses depending on the organism.

Most often it runs like the flu or meningoencephalitis. In severe cases, kidney or liver failure occurs and death can occur.

Weil's disease has the most severe course, while field fever has a milder course.

What is the course of the disease caused by leptospires?

The disease usually has two phases:

The first phase, called the leptospiric phase, is acute.

It starts suddenly and manifests itself similarly to influenza, lasting about 3 to 10 days.

In this phase, the bacteria enter the blood and cerebrospinal fluid. From the blood, they move into the organs.

The second phase is called the immune phase. It occurs after the bacteria have moved into the organs, especially the kidneys and liver.

The bacteria concentrate in the kidneys, where they form urine. They are then eliminated from the body through the urine.

Weil's disease

It takes 5-14 days from the time of infection to the onset of the first symptoms.

The duration of the disease ranges from a few days to 3 weeks, in some cases even longer.

Without treatment, it can last for several months.