Neglecting the neglected during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of leptospirosis in Sri Lanka

Warnasekara, Janith; Agampodi, Suneth

doi:10.4178/epih.e2022015

Cited by 8 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(11 reference statements)

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“…Monthly case numbers increased dramatically in May 2020, shortly after imposition of aggressive lockdowns, and were maintained at levels above those for January through April for the remainder of the year. 75 There were 3,404 cases during the second quarter of 2020, an increase of 38.5% compared with the same period in 2019. In contrast, the number of Dengue fever cases declined from the previous year by 73.6%, possibly because of a drier first quarter of 2020, closure of schools and offices, and aggressive street and home cleaning that may have reduced mosquito breeding sites.…”

Section: Continuing Emergence Of Leptospirosis During the Covid-19 Pa...mentioning

confidence: 90%

“…73,74 In 2020, the number of leptospirosis cases reported to Sri Lanka's surveillance system was the highest ever-8,579 cases and more than 800 estimated deaths. 75 This compared with 7,423 cases in 2008, the last time a large increase in leptospirosis occurred. Monthly case numbers increased dramatically in May 2020, shortly after imposition of aggressive lockdowns, and were maintained at levels above those for January through April for the remainder of the year.…”

Section: Continuing Emergence Of Leptospirosis During the Covid-19 Pa...mentioning

confidence: 92%

“…76 It was suggested that the surge in leptospirosis may have occurred because of increased paddy field activity following the lockdowns as well as nonimplementation of a state-sponsored doxycycline prophylaxis program for individuals at risk during the pandemic. 75,76 Lockdowns were thought to have created the greatest economic impact on farmers engaged in cropping of perishables, such as vegetables; in contrast, rice was less prone to problems associated with market-ing interruptions. 77 With a drier first quarter of 2020 than usual and no unusual increases in rainfall for the remainder of 2020, rainfall patterns could not explain the increase in leptospirosis cases.…”

Section: Continuing Emergence Of Leptospirosis During the Covid-19 Pa...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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A global one health perspective on leptospirosis in humans and animals

Sykes

Haake

Gamage

et al. 2022

javma

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Leptospirosis is a quintessential one health disease of humans and animals caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. Intra- and interspecies transmission is dependent on 1) reservoir host animals in which organisms replicate and are shed in urine over long periods of time, 2) the persistence of spirochetes in the environment, and 3) subsequent human-animal-environmental interactions. The combination of increased flooding events due to climate change, changes in human-animal-environmental interactions as a result of the pandemic that favor a rise in the incidence of leptospirosis, and under-recognition of leptospirosis because of nonspecific clinical signs and severe signs that resemble COVID-19 represents a “perfect storm” for resurgence of leptospirosis in people and domestic animals. Although often considered a disease that occurs in warm, humid climates with high annual rainfall, pathogenic Leptospira spp have recently been associated with disease in animals and humans that reside in semiarid regions like the southwestern US and have impacted humans that have a wide spectrum of socioeconomic backgrounds. Therefore, it is critical that physicians, veterinarians, and public health experts maintain a high index of suspicion for the disease regardless of geographic and socioeconomic circumstances and work together to understand outbreaks and implement appropriate control measures. Over the last decade, major strides have been made in our understanding of the disease because of improvements in diagnostic tests, molecular epidemiologic tools, educational efforts on preventive measures, and vaccines. These novel approaches are highlighted in the companion Currents in One Health by Sykes et al, AJVR, September 2022.

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Section: Continuing Emergence Of Leptospirosis During the Covid-19 Pa...mentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Continuing Emergence Of Leptospirosis During the Covid-19 Pa...mentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Continuing Emergence Of Leptospirosis During the Covid-19 Pa...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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A global one health perspective on leptospirosis in humans and animals

Sykes

Haake

Gamage

et al. 2022

javma

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“… 3 Amongst infections, chronic infections such as human immunodeficiency virus infection in the context of COVID‐19 have been discussed in many reports, but tropical infections such as leptospirosis have been largely neglected. 4 , 5 Although there are some reports of leptospirosis during the COVID‐pandemic, the complex interplay between COVID and leptospirosis has not been evaluated in detail to the best of our knowledge. 6 Leptospirosis is a febrile zoonotic disease with rodents and other small mammals serving as reservoirs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the negative impact of noninfectious comorbidities, such as diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease has been widely studied, comorbid infections have primarily been neglected 3 . Amongst infections, chronic infections such as human immunodeficiency virus infection in the context of COVID‐19 have been discussed in many reports, but tropical infections such as leptospirosis have been largely neglected 4,5 . Although there are some reports of leptospirosis during the COVID‐pandemic, the complex interplay between COVID and leptospirosis has not been evaluated in detail to the best of our knowledge 6 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coinfection of leptospirosis and coronavirus disease 2019: A retrospective case series from a coastal region in South India

Gupta

Wilson

Ravindra

et al. 2022

Journal of Medical Virology

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During the monsoon season of 2020, the coastal areas of South India were endemic to both leptospirosis and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). This study aimed to investigate the clinical features and outcomes of patients infected with both infections. A retrospective review of charts of all patients with COVID‐19 who were also diagnosed with leptospirosis by immunoglobulin M enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay was undertaken. The clinical features, laboratory report, treatment details, and outcomes of all the included patients were recorded. The collected data were summarized as the frequency with percentage for categorical data and the mean or median for continuous data. Twenty‐four cases of coinfections were admitted between July and November 2020. Most of these patients were categorized as severe COVID‐19 ( n = 15, 62.5%). Acute kidney injury was seen in 79.2% ( n = 19) patients, while raised bilirubin was present in 79.2% ( n = 19) of the patients. All patients had raised C‐reactive protein, while all but one had raised procalcitonin. Thrombocytopenia, leucocytosis, and leukocytopenia were seen in 91.7% ( n = 22), 45.8% ( n = 11), and 12.5% ( n = 3) of the patients. The median duration of hospital stay was 11 (8.25–15) days. A total of 79.2% ( n = 19) of the patients improved and were discharged, while 20.8% ( n = 5) died during the hospital stay. In conclusion, patients with fever and atypical manifestations such as hepatic dysfunction, renal dysfunction, and thrombocytopenia should be evaluated for leptospirosis even if they are COVID positive.

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Ocular leptospirosis: lack of awareness among ophthalmologists and challenges in diagnosis

Sivakumar¹

2022

Current Opinion in Ophthalmology

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Purpose of reviewSystemic leptospirosis exists worldwide. But leptospiral uveitis, an important late complication is not identified by ophthalmologists in several countries.Recent findingsIn the last 18 months numerous publications, especially on epidemiology, surveillances, and novel rapid diagnostic kits to test at the point of care site on leptospirosis have been published from all over the world. However, publications from ophthalmologists are very scarce. Remarkably ophthalmologists should know the global burden of leptospirosis, prevalence of the disease in their country, demographic factors associated, risk factors, and systemic signs to elicit relevant history and travel history. They should be aware of recent advances in investigations to confirm their clinical diagnosis.SummaryIt is quite evident from this work that leptospirosis is prevalent worldwide. Ophthalmologists’ awareness has to improve to identify the etiological diagnosis. They should have access to simple, less expensive, and less cumbersome laboratory tests.

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Neglecting the neglected during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of leptospirosis in Sri Lanka

Cited by 8 publications

References 6 publications

A global one health perspective on leptospirosis in humans and animals

A global one health perspective on leptospirosis in humans and animals

Coinfection of leptospirosis and coronavirus disease 2019: A retrospective case series from a coastal region in South India

Ocular leptospirosis: lack of awareness among ophthalmologists and challenges in diagnosis

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