It generally takes 2-30 days to get sick after having contact with the bacteria that cause leptospirosis. The disease may occur in two phases: In the first phase, people may have fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, or diarrhea. The person may feel better for a while but become ill again.
Leptospirosis consists of two phases: the leptospiremic (acute) phase and the immune (delayed) phase. You may have mild symptoms or no symptoms in the leptospiremic phase. Some people develop severe symptoms in the immune phase.
Generally, leptospirosis is an acute biphasic illness: the first phase (4–9 days) presents with an abrupt onset of a flu-like illness, with a severe headache, chills, muscle aches, and vomiting, while in the second phase the patient develops fever, jaundice, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
Symptoms of Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis usually occurs in 2 phases: First phase (septicemic phase): About 5 to 14 days after infection occurs, fever, headache, sore throat, severe muscle aches in the calves and back, and chills occur suddenly. The eyes usually become very red on the third or fourth day.
The icteric phase of leptospirosis is classically known as Weil disease. This is a severe infection, and its manifestations include fever, renal failure, jaundice, hemorrhage, and respiratory distress. The icteric phase may also involve the heart, central nervous system, and muscles.
The case fatality rate for leptospirosis is approximately 5%–15% among patients with severe illness. Among patients with severe pulmonary hemorrhagic syndrome, the case fatality rate can exceed 50%. Early treatment may decrease the severity and duration of disease.
While most cases of pancreatitis due to leptospirosis are self-limited, some cases are more severe and associated with fatal outcomes (Spichler et al. 2007). Severe leptospirosis is characterized by dysfunction of multiple organs including the liver, kidneys, lungs, and brain.
Summary. Leptospirosis is a disease spread from animals to humans, caused by infection with the bacteria Leptospira. The most common sources of infection are contact with infected animal urine and/or contaminated soil or water. Outbreaks may occur following periods of heavy rain or flooding.
In endemic area all cases of fever with myalgia and conjunctival suffusion should be considered as suspected cases of leptospirosis. Fever – Same as in anicteric leptospirosis but may be more severe and prolonged. Myalgia – Calf muscle tenderness becomes more evident.
The germ can survive in moist conditions outside the host for many days or even weeks. However, they are readily killed by drying, exposure to detergents, disinfectants, heating to 50 C for five minutes and they only survive for a few hours in salt water.
The illness can last from a few days to several weeks. Without treatment, getting better may take several months. If you think you may have leptospirosis, see a healthcare provider right away so that they can run tests and start you on effective medicine to treat it.
The diagnosis of leptospirosis was confirmed by a fourfold rise in titer between two sera tested by the same method, an initial titer of ≥800 in the MAT, an IgM titer of ≥160 in the ELISA, a positive culture from blood or urine, or any combination of these results.
There has been a significant rise in reported cases of dogs infected with Leptospirosis in LA County. Since April 2021, there have been over 120 confirmed cases reported.
The incubation period of leptospirosis is 5-14 days with a range of 2-30 days. The disease presents like many other conditions and has a wide range of non-specific symptoms: Fever. Headache.
This occurs early in the course of the illness. Occasionally patients develop a transient petechial rash (small red, purple, or brown spots) that can involve the palate. If present, the rash often lasts less than 24 hours. Later in severe disease, jaundice and extensive purpura can develop.
Most cases of leptospirosis are diagnosed by serology. Antibodies can become detectable by the 6th to 10th day of disease and reach peak levels within three to four weeks.
Intravenous penicillin is the drug of choice for patients with severe leptospirosis; ceftriaxone and cefotaxime are alternative antimicrobial agents. As with other spirochetal diseases, antibiotic treatment of patients with leptospirosis might cause a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction; the reaction is rarely fatal.
Hantavirus, associated with rat exposure, may present with a similar syndrome to leptospirosis.
Travel and tourism: People who travel to areas where leptospirosis is common should take the following steps: Avoid swimming in fresh water. Drink only water that is boiled or from a sealed bottle. Clean and cover any skin wounds with a waterproof dressing.
Leptospirosis can also be an occupational hazard for people who work outdoors or with animals, such as rice and sugar-cane field workers, farmers, sewer workers, veterinarians, dairy workers, and military personnel. It is also a recreational hazard to those who swim or wade in contaminated water.
Headache in 13 patients (39.4%), vomiting in 10 patients (30.3%) and seizures in 10 patients (30.3%) were the most common neurological manifestations seen. Neck stiffness, a classical sign of meningitis was observed in 12 patients (36.4%).
Leptospirosis (LEP-toe-sp-ROW-sis) is caused by spiral shaped bacteria that can damage to the liver, kidneys and other organs of animals and humans. The disease occurs worldwide. Cases usually occur during the summer and fall.
Synonyms include Weil's disease, Weil-Vasiliev disease, Swineherd's disease, rice-field fever, waterborne fever, nanukayami fever, cane-cutter fever, swamp fever, mud fever, Stuttgart disease, and Canicola fever. The treatment and prevention of leptospirosis will be presented here.