The epidemiology, characteristics and outbreaks of human leptospirosis and the association with animals in Taiwan, 2007–2014: A nationwide database study

Tsai, Chia-Ta; Lin, Jiun-Nong; Lee, Chen‐Hsiang; Sun, Weijian; Chang, Yi-Chin; Chen, Yen-Hsu; Lai, Chung-Hsu

doi:10.1111/zph.12667

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…It enters intact mucus membrane or an abraded skin of human to cause systemic febrile illness in the population that work with animals or contaminated paddy field. Leptospirosis has worldwide distribution[ 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 ] and several reports have come out from India as well. [ 1 2 3 4 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 37 39 ] Primary infective stage/fever occur in monsoon season; however, ocular manifestation is late immune reaction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leptospiral uveitis- “Transition ‘from epidemic to endemic form” difficulties in laboratory confirmation

Rathinam,

Kohila,

Gowri

et al. 2023

Indian Journal of Ophthalmology

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Purpose: Leptospirosis is a waterborne zoonotic disease that primarily causes systemic illness, followed by uveitis. After heavy flooding in Madurai district, an epidemic outbreak of systemic and ocular leptospirosis occurred in 1994. Our data shows a transition to endemicity after each epidemic. Aim: The aim of this study is to report the clinical signs, epidemic outbreaks, and persistent endemicity of leptospiral uveitis, as well as the diagnostic dilemmas associated with it. Methods: A retrospective analysis of clinical signs was conducted using medical records of leptospiral uveitis patients over a period of 27 years (1994–2020) in a tertiary care eye hospital. The clinical workup of uveitis included a detailed clinical history, systemic, and ophthalmic examination. Microagglutination tests (MATs) was done at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta and later in our regional laboratory. Serum samples were collected from human systemic leptospirosis cases and a small group of animals in and around Madurai. Results: The first epidemic outbreak resulted in 200 seropositive patients. Subsequent epidemic outbreaks occurred in 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, and 2012, with Madurai experiencing multiple outbreaks. However, the disease remained endemic, with 25–50 patients being observed per year in between the peaks. Ocular examination revealed acute non-granulomatous uveitis (94.9%), pan uveitis (59.8%), vitreous inflammatory reaction (55.4%), retinal vasculitis (29.5%), disc hyperemia (20.9%), and hypopyon. (16.2%). New serovars emerged every year, resulting in decreased sensitivity of the MAT. Over time, the MAT started to miss diagnoses. Conclusion: The persistent endemicity of leptospiral uveitis emphasizes the need for accessible diagnostic tests. The low performance of the MAT can be attributable to the use of an older panel. The incorporation of new isolates in the MAT by a national laboratory will improve the accuracy of diagnosis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leptospiral uveitis- “Transition ‘from epidemic to endemic form” difficulties in laboratory confirmation

Rathinam,

Kohila,

Gowri

et al. 2023

Indian Journal of Ophthalmology

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“…The sporadic occurrence of murine typhus is not surprising. The correlation of the occurrence of zoonotic disease between human and animal hosts has also been addressed in leptospirosis [ 56 ]. Interestingly, the delayed correlation observed in this study further provides an alternative strategy to develop a suitable alarm system through serosurveillance in small mammals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delayed correlation between the incidence rate of indigenous murine typhus in humans and the seropositive rate of Rickettsia typhi infection in small mammals in Taiwan from 2007–2019

Chiang

Yang

et al. 2022

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

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Murine typhus is a flea-borne zoonotic disease with acute febrile illness caused by Rickettsia typhi and is distributed widely throughout the world, particularly in port cities and coastal regions. We observed that murine typhus was an endemic disease (number of annual indigenous cases = 29.23±8.76) with a low incidence rate (0.13±2.03*10−4 per 100,000 person-years) in Taiwan from 2007–2019. Most (45.79%, 174/380) indigenous infections were reported in May, June, and July. The incidence rates in both May and June were statistically higher than those in other months (p<0.05). Correspondingly, sera collected from small mammals (rodents and shrews) trapped in airports and harbors demonstrated anti-R. typhi antibody responses (seropositive rate = 8.24±0.33%). Interestingly, the ports with the highest seropositivity rates in small mammals are all inside/near the areas with the highest incidence rates of indigenous murine typhus. In addition, incidence rates in humans were positively correlated with the 1-month and 2-month prior seropositive rates in small mammals (R = 0.31 and 0.37, respectively). As early treatment with appropriate antibiotics for murine typhus could effectively shorten the duration of illness and reduce the risk of hospitalization and fatality, flea-related exposure experience should be considered in clinics during peak seasons and the months after a rise in seropositivity rates in small mammals. Surveillance in small mammals might be helpful for the development of real-time reporting or even early reminders for physicians of sporadic murine typhus cases based on the delayed correlation observed in this study.

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“…This study proposes mNGS as a tool for microbiome characterization and pathogen identification in laboratory animals, paving the way for its use in the clinical veterinary diagnostic practice and eventually in the epidemiology surveillance of pathogens that have caused recent zoonotic outbreaks of bacterial and viral origin [97][98][99][100]. As recently suggested, mNGS-based testing may in fact play a role in monitoring and tracking infectious disease outbreaks at the early stage [57].…”

Section: Table 1 Main Species Constituting the Microbiota In Spf Animalsmentioning

confidence: 97%

A comprehensive approach for microbiota and health monitoring in mouse colonies using metagenomic shotgun sequencing

et al. 2021

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Background Health surveillance of murine colonies employed for scientific purposes aim at detecting unwanted infection that can affect the well-being of animals and personnel, and potentially undermine scientific results. In this study, we investigated the use of a next-generation sequencing (NGS) metagenomic approach for monitoring the microbiota composition and uncovering the possible presence of pathogens in mice housed in specific pathogen-free (SPF) or conventional (non-SPF) facilities. Results Analysis of metagenomic NGS assay through public and free algorithms and databases allowed to precisely assess the composition of mouse gut microbiome and quantify the contribution of the different microorganisms at the species level. Sequence analysis allowed the uncovering of pathogens or the presence of imbalances in the microbiota composition. In several cases, fecal pellets taken from conventional facilities were found to carry gene sequences from bacterial pathogens (Helicobacter hepaticus, Helicobacter typhlonius, Chlamydia muridarum, Streptococcus pyogenes, Rodentibacter pneumotropicus, Citrobacter rodentium, Staphylococcus aureus), intestinal protozoa (Entamoeba muris, Tritrichomonas muris, Spironucleus muris) nematoda (Aspiculuris tetraptera, Syphacia obvelata), eukaryotic parasites (Myocoptes musculinus) and RNA virus (Norwalk virus). Thus, the use of NGS metagenomics can reduce the number of tests required for the detection of pathogens and avoid the use of sentinel mice. Conclusions In summary, in comparison with standard approaches, which require multiple types of test, NGS assay can detect bacteria, fungi, DNA and RNA viruses, and eukaryotic parasites from fecal pellets in a single test. Considering the need to protect animal well-being and to improve the success and reproducibility of preclinical studies, this work provides the proof-of-concept that the use of NGS metagenomics for health monitoring of laboratory mice is a feasible and dependable approach, that is able to broaden the current concept of health monitoring of laboratory mice from “pathogen surveillance” to a more inclusive “microbiota surveillance”.

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The epidemiology, characteristics and outbreaks of human leptospirosis and the association with animals in Taiwan, 2007–2014: A nationwide database study

Cited by 5 publications

References 36 publications

Leptospiral uveitis- “Transition ‘from epidemic to endemic form” difficulties in laboratory confirmation

Leptospiral uveitis- “Transition ‘from epidemic to endemic form” difficulties in laboratory confirmation

Delayed correlation between the incidence rate of indigenous murine typhus in humans and the seropositive rate of Rickettsia typhi infection in small mammals in Taiwan from 2007–2019

A comprehensive approach for microbiota and health monitoring in mouse colonies using metagenomic shotgun sequencing

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