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LEPTOSPIROSIS_

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection caused by Leptospira interrogans, typically contracted through exposure to animal urine, particularly from dogs and rodents. Symptoms can range from mild fever and muscle pain to severe complications affecting the heart, liver, and kidneys, with potential fatal outcomes. Prevention includes protective clothing, water source inspection, and vaccination, while treatment typically involves antibiotics.

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11 views

LEPTOSPIROSIS_

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection caused by Leptospira interrogans, typically contracted through exposure to animal urine, particularly from dogs and rodents. Symptoms can range from mild fever and muscle pain to severe complications affecting the heart, liver, and kidneys, with potential fatal outcomes. Prevention includes protective clothing, water source inspection, and vaccination, while treatment typically involves antibiotics.

Uploaded by

helenafrancineebio
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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LEPTOSPIROSIS

A spirochete bacterial infection commonly obtained through exposure to


animal urine, particularly dogs, rodents, and other farm animals.
Causative Agent
➢ Leptospira interrogans
History/Discovery of the Disease
➢ First discovered as a disease of sewer workers by Landouzy in 1883
➢ First described by Adolf Weil (Weil’s Disease, 1887). He described four
cases of acute febrile illnesses characterized by jaundice, abnormal
signs in the CNS, hepatosplenomegaly, and renal malfunction.
➢ Causative agent was first discovered by Japanese workers who saw
spirochaetes in the liver of a guinea pig, inoculated with the blood from
a patient with Weil’s disease.
➢ 1917, Hidego Noguchi created the genus Leptospira (from the Greek:
leptos = small, spira = a coil)
Signs and Symptoms
Signs and symptoms usually appear suddenly about 5-14 days after
infection. However, incubation period can range from 2 to 30 days.
Mild Leptospirosis
• a fever and chills
• coughing
• diarrhea, vomiting, or both
• headache
• muscle pain, particularly lower back and calves
• a rash
• red and irritated eyes
• jaundice
Most people recover within a week without treatment, but some could go
on to develop severe leptospirosis.
Severe Leptospirosis
Signs and symptoms appear after mild leptospirosis disappeared.
Symptoms could vary depending on the affected organ. Complications could
be fatal. The heart, liver, and kidneys can be affected, and the person could
usually experience the following:
• fatigue
• irregular, often fast, heartbeat
• muscle pains
• nausea
• nosebleeds
• pain in the chest
• panting
• poor appetite
• swelling of the hands, feet, or ankles
• unexplained weight loss
• jaundice, seen in a yellowing of the whites of the eyes, tongue, and
skin
If the brain or spinal cord are affected, it could lead to encephalitis or
meningitis. The following are the signs and symptoms of these complications:
• confusion or disorientation
• drowsiness
• fits or seizures
• high fever
• nausea
• photophobia, or sensitivity to light
• problems with physical movements
• stiff neck
• inability to speak
• vomiting
• aggressive or unusual behavior
If the lungs are affected, difficulty in breathing could occur. Signs and
symptoms of such complication include:
• high fever
• panting
• coughing up blood
Prevention, Control, and Treatment of the Disease
Prevention and control methods include:
• wearing of protective clothing
• inspect water sources
• covering of wounds with waterproof dressing
• not diving unto dirty, murky, or seemingly contaminated water
• workplace routine disinfection
• pest control, especially rodents
• vaccination
Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection. Therefore, oral antibiotics like
doxycycline and penicillin could be viable in treating the illness. Intravenous
antibiotics may be required for persons who are diagnosed with severe
leptospirosis.
Additional Information
• Human-to-human transmission occurs very rarely.
• Most common in temperate or tropical regions.
• Risk of contracting leptospirosis is relatively high in heavily flooded
areas.
• Leptospirosis is more common in dogs than in cats.
• 2,794 cases were recorded from Jan. 1 to Oct. 29 of this year in the
Philippines, according to DOH. It is 68% higher compared to last year’s
1,661 cases reported from the same time period.

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