Differences in Clinical Manifestations of Imported versus Autochthonous Leptospirosis in Austria and Germany

Hoffmeister, Bodo; Peyerl‐Hoffmann, Gabriele; Pischke, Sven; Zollner‐Schwetz, Ines; Krause, Robert; Müller, Matthias C.; Graf, A.; Kluge, Stefan; Burchard, Gerd; Kern, Winfried V.; Suttorp, Norbert; Cramer, Jakob P.

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2010.10-0040

Cited by 17 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Other signifi cant outbreaks with relation to water occurred in India, Argentina, Cuba, Brazil, Nicaragua and in 2009 in the Philippines after fl oods and other natural disasters [3]. In Austria, growing numbers of imported cases are reported in addition to autochthonous infections as a consequence of rising global travel activities [13]. Th e predominance of men among case-patients is well recognized.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Outbreak of leptospirosis among triathlon participants in Langau, Austria, 2010

Radl

Müller

Revilla‐Fernández

et al. 2011

Wien Klin Wochenschr

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We report on the first documented outbreak of leptospirosis in Austria. In July 2010, four cases of serologically confirmed leptospirosis occurred in athletes after a triathlon held in Langau. Heavy rains preceded the triathlon (rainfall: 22 mm). The index case (Patient A) was a 41-year-old previously healthy male, who was admitted to hospital A on July 8 with a four-day history of fever up to 40°C that began 14 days after attending the triathlon event. On July 7, patient B, a 42-year-old male, was admitted to the same hospital, with signs and symptoms of kidney failure. Hemodialysis was performed every other day for 3 weeks. While the serum drawn on the day of admission was negative for antibodies against Leptospira, a specimen from July 28 tested positive with Leptospira interrogans. On July 11, patient C, a 40-year-old male, was admitted to hospital B for nephritis. On July 14, patient D, a 44-year-old male, was admitted to hospital C with a ten days history of intermittent fever, mild dry cough and headache. Our report underlines that in Austria recreational users of bodies of freshwater must be aware of an existing risk of contracting leptospirosis, particularly after heavy rains. The suppressive influence of a triathlon on the immune system is well documented and therefore an outbreak in this population group can be seen as a sensitive indicator concerning possible risk for the general population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Outbreak of leptospirosis among triathlon participants in Langau, Austria, 2010

Radl

Müller

Revilla‐Fernández

et al. 2011

Wien Klin Wochenschr

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“…In European countries, leptospirosis is known as an imported disease ("travellers' disease" [8][9][10][11][12][13]) or in certain occupational groups (among agricultural works, livestock and forestry workers, etc. [14][15][16][17][18][19]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in leptospirosis etiology in animals and humans

Vasylieva¹,

Andreychyn²,

Kravchuk³

et al. 2017

Ann Agric Environ Med.

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Introduction. Leptospirosis is endemic in Ternopil region. In Ukraine, the disease is registered in almost all regions, including the Ternopil region. The aim of the research is to study the regularities of epidemic and epizootic processes of leptospirosis, and the circulation of its pathogens among different sources (small mammals, animals) and humans. Materials and method. Etiologic spectrum of leptospirosis registered in Ternopil region in 1972-2016 among small mammals, farm animals and sick people was studied. Results. Due to the analysis of pathogens circulation among different sources (small mammals, animals), as well as the annual morbidity in humans, it was proved that new leptospira serovars are endemic and brought into the regions mostly by farm animals. Farm animals introduce the infection to humans through the environment, sometimes within 3-5-years. The spread was observed of pathogen serovars, which are new in certain areas, among all types of mouse-like small mammals and rats. It was established that livestock and small mammals are parallel reservoirs. Conclusions. In the regions with endemic species, the structural modification in the etiology of leptospirosis in humans is caused by additional reservoirs among animals, as well as the circulation of other pathogen serovars that were absent in the main natural reservoir, i.e. mouse-like small mammals and rats. The constant monitoring of the population, contamination and carrier state of mouse-like small mammals, rats and farm animals, is required In order to predict the future epidemiological situation on leptospirosis among the population and to improve leptospirosis diagnosis.

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“…Increasing travel abroad may have contributed to more frequent exposure to Leptospira spp., as growing numbers of imported cases have been reported in Austria and Germany [9]. Nevertheless, travel in general was not associated with a higher risk for seropositivity in our study, with the limitation that travel histories were only collected for the period six months before serum collection.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…Sera were stored at -20°C until testing at the National Reference Laboratory for Leptospirosis at the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) [5,[8][9][10]]. In the MAT, two doubling dilutions of each serum, 1:25 and 1:50, were used in an initial screening test.…”

Section: Serologymentioning

confidence: 99%

High prevalence of antibodies against Leptospira spp. in male Austrian adults: a cross-sectional survey, April to June 2009

et al. 2013

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To assess the distribution of specific antibodies against Leptospira spp. in Austrian adults, we conducted an explorative nationwide cross-sectional serological study in 400 healthy individuals. Antibody titres against Leptospira spp. were determined in a microscopic agglutination test using a panel of 14 serovar cultures. Sera of 18 participants were excluded because the samples were unsuitable for testing; the remaining 382 participants comprised 166 professional soldiers and 216 civilians. Overall, 88 (23%) individuals tested positive in serological screening. The subjects' sera reacted most frequently with serovars Canicola (16.5%) and Hardjo (11.8%). Epidemiological information was obtained from a questionnaire: no correlation was found for area of residence, travel abroad, regular outdoor activities, occupational animal contact, or ownership of companion animals. The proportion of seropositive samples was significantly lower among professional soldiers (15.7%) than among civilians (28.7%) (p=0.003). Our data demonstrate serological evidence of a high rate of exposure to Leptospira spp. among the Austrian population. No increased risk of exposure to Leptospira spp. was detected in military personnel.

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Differences in Clinical Manifestations of Imported versus Autochthonous Leptospirosis in Austria and Germany

Cited by 17 publications

References 37 publications

Outbreak of leptospirosis among triathlon participants in Langau, Austria, 2010

Outbreak of leptospirosis among triathlon participants in Langau, Austria, 2010

Changes in leptospirosis etiology in animals and humans

High prevalence of antibodies against Leptospira spp. in male Austrian adults: a cross-sectional survey, April to June 2009

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