What is Leptospirosis?Causes, symptoms and treatment

What is Leptospirosis?

Leptospirosis is an infection caused by a bacteria named Leptospira, of spirochete family which infects both humans and animals.  The bacteria  affects the kidneys and stay inside the renal tubules thus  getting shed in the urine.  Once the animal becomes infected  it can spread infection to other animals as well as the humans. 

It is a zoonotic disease and the humans acquire it from the infected animals. It can cause mild to severe infection. Some people affected may not show any symptoms at all.  Some may develop initial mild symptoms that can be treated with antibiotics. 

Leptospirosis is common in the developing nations and in places where there is warm climate or floods occur more often.  The endemic outbreaks of the disease are most commonly known to take place after the flooding or heavy rains in the tropical areas.  

It is known to have a spread mostly in the areas such as Asia, Australia, Africa and parts of north and South America. The bacteria is present globally but it can infect few places with some risk factors such as improper sanitation and flood-struck areas.  

The infection may spread into the buffaloes or any cattle, pigs, pets such as cats or dogs, rodents and humans too. The symptoms may not be too severe in humans than animals.  It is more commonly referred as a zoonotic disease, the one that spreads through contact with animals. 

What are the causes of Leptospirosis?

Leptospirosis can happen due to the transmission of the leptospira bacteria through animals' urine.  When the infected animal's urine comes in contact with the healthy person any how it can transmit the infection on to that person. 

The common causes of leptospirosis are:

• Contact with the infected urine
• Contact with the soil infected with animal urine 
• Contact with contaminated drinking water or water. The floods may contaminate the water with animal waste and may contain bacteria. 
• Unclean hands after handling the farm animals 
• Eating food contaminated with the infected urine. 

What are the risk factors that can expose you to leptospirosis?

• If you are a farmer, the risk of leptospirosis infection is high when your animals get infected.
• If there is poor sanitation around you, you are at risk of getting leptospirosis. 
• If you are a underground sewage worker, there are chances of you having infected due to the exposure to the contaminated urine or waste. 
• If you have an animal or cattle already infected at your farm or place, you are most likely to catch the infection if you don't handle the animal waste and urine carefully. 
• If you are not maintaining good personal hygiene and do not wash your hands after going to the toilet, you may increase the risk of infection to self as well as may spread it to another person. 
• If your area had recent heavy rainfall and floods, you are most likely to have infection. 
• If you are living in a warm climate region and the area is endemic to zoonotic diseases, the risk increases. 
• If you are an animal doctor(veterinarian) or own an animal husbandry, it is likely you can be at the risk of having infection. 
• If you are a slaughter-man, then the risk of having and spread of infection increases. 
• Dairy workers and military men are also at risk of having infection. 

How does the infection of leptospirosis spread? 

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that occurs when the leptospira bacteria gains entry into the body through contact with infected urine or soil contaminated with the infected urine.  It can spread when you place your barefoot on the place where the animals infected have urinated.  The soil becomes infected with the urine and if a person comes in contact with such contaminated soil, the bacteria can easily enter through the cuts or tears or any sort of open wounds on your legs or anywhere it comes in close contact. 

Sites of entry of leptospira bacteria in leptospirois

The bacteria can enter through skin, eye, mucous membranes of nose and mouth. 

Many animals and rodents act as carrier without actually exhibiting any signs of infection but they still continue to spread the infection to other animals and humans.  This can cause weak animals and less immune people to get the infection more easily. The animals may continue shedding off the bacteria for months without having any noticeable symptoms.  

What are the signs and symptoms of leptospirosis? 

The signs and symptoms of leptospirosis in humans are:

• Fever, high grade fever with chills
• Muscle pain or myalgia
• Extreme fatigue or malaise
• Headache
• Red eyes, dull pain in the eyes.
• Nausea and vomiting
• Rashes on the skin
• Abdominal pain or cramps
• Loose motion or diarrhea
• Yellowing of the skin and mucus membranes( jaundice)

The signs and symptoms of leptospirosis may continue for two or three weeks following the infection.  It may take some longer in the animals. 

The initial infection may be mild but the recurrence is usually common. The infection can become severe sometimes. In some cases when the infection becomes severe, it can cause a fatal complication called Weil's disease that can damage the kidneys and liver and can cause meningitis(an inflammation of the meninges or protective coverings over the brain) and can be life-threatening, it is rare though. 

How can leptospirosis be diagnosed?

Leptospirosis can be diagnosed by conducting several blood and urine tests. The presence of antibodies in the blood of the infected humans or animals can help in the diagnosis of the disease. 

See your doctor if you notice such symptoms in your cattle or you, or your family member.

What is the treatment of the leptospirosis disease?

• Seek health care and once diagnosed to have been infected, start the treatment regimen and complete it without fail. 
• Leptospirosis can be treated with the use of oral antibiotic medications, mainly penicillin and doxycycline.  It can effectively cure the disease with mild infection and at the earliest stage in just about a week's course. 
•  As the infection becomes severe, it may need a more aggressive intravenous injections of antibiotics to treat the infection and related major organ symptoms such as jaundice or meningitis. 

How can we prevent leptospirosis ?

Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonotic disease which can be prevented. 

The following prevention measures can help:

• Practice good personal hygiene.  Emphasize on the handwashing practice. It helps prevent infection. 
• Always keep the cattle stable neat and clean. Wear special rubber gloves before handling animal urine.  While working in the farm, wear gloves to protect yourself from infection. 
• After going to washroom and before having meals, ensure thorough handwashing. 
• Avoid travelling to the places expecting heavy rains or are endemic to such zoonoses. 
• Avoid swimming or rafting or fishing. 
• Wear protective footwear to save yourself from getting cuts and tears. 
• Take care of your pet animals and cattle by regularly vaccinating them for major diseases and maintaining their hygiene and cleanliness of their living places. Talk to your pet or cattle doctor and try to do what is best for them to prevent any such infections. 

Leptospirosis, a bacterial infection is a zoonotic disease spreading from animals to humans. Human to human spread is rare. Humans can get the bacteria through contact with the food or water or soil contaminated with the urine of the infected animals. It can be prevented by hygienic and protective measures.

Note: This post is for informational and educational purpose only, It is not a substitute to any medical or professional advice or treatment. See your doctor in any case.