Trends in Human Leptospirosis in Denmark, 1980 to 2012

Alphen, Lieke B. van; Kunoe, A Lemcke; Ceper, Tina H.; Kähler, Jonas; Kjelsø, Charlotte; Ethelberg, Steen; Krogfelt, Karen A.

doi:10.2807/1560-7917.es2015.20.4.21019

Cited by 17 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…This limited acquisition process in our patient cohort can be explained by the lifestyles of children in an industrialized country where involvement in other high-risk activities is substantially less common than in adults or children in resource-limited countries. In addition, unlike the previously reported seasonal pattern from developing countries (i.e., year-round occurrence with a peak in the postsummer season) [ 16 , 17 , 23 ], leptospirosis in our patients exclusively occurred from August to November, which is summer and fall, respectively, in Okinawa. We speculate that this limited seasonal pattern can be attributed to freshwater recreational activities among children on summer vacation and higher precipitation during this season in Okinawa.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 87%

Childhood leptospirosis in an industrialized country: Population-based study in Okinawa, Japan

Tomari¹,

Toyokawa²,

Takahashi

et al. 2018

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

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Leptospirosis is considered underdiagnosed because of its nonspecific presentation and lack of proper understanding of its epidemiology. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial. However, few data are available on confirmed leptospirosis cases in children in industrialized countries. We therefore aimed to describe epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of laboratory-confirmed childhood leptospirosis in Okinawa, Japan. We reviewed the national surveillance data of pediatric leptospirosis in Okinawa, Japan from January 2003 through December 2015. The database included all of laboratory-confirmed leptospirosis diagnosed at the only central laboratory for leptospirosis in the region. There were 44 children (0–20 years of age) with laboratory-confirmed leptospirosis. Of these, 90% were male, 91% were 10–20 years of age, and 96% of cases occurred in August and September. The number of laboratory-confirmed patients ranged from 0 to 11 per year (mean: 3.3 per year), and the estimated annual rate was 1.0 per 100,000 pediatric populations. In all cases, the presumed infection route was recreational exposure to river water. Commonly observed manifestations include fever (95%), myalgia (52%), and conjunctival suffusion (52%). Childhood leptospirosis in Okinawa, Japan occurred predominantly in teenage boys after freshwater exposure in summer, and most patients had characteristic conjunctival suffusion. Cohort studies would be helpful to better understand more detailed clinical manifestations in association with prognosis.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 87%

Childhood leptospirosis in an industrialized country: Population-based study in Okinawa, Japan

Tomari¹,

Toyokawa²,

Takahashi

et al. 2018

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

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“…Cases mainly acquired leptospirosis during recreational activities such as swimming and fishing, in contrast with other western European countries, where autochthonous leptospirosis infections are predominantly associated with occupational activities [13][14][15]. A possible explanation for the increase of autochthonous cases is the preceding mild winter of 2013 to 2014 followed by the warmest year in three centuries in Europe [16,17], possibly enabling rodents and also excreted Leptospira to better survive [2,18,19].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marked increase in leptospirosis infections in humans and dogs in the Netherlands, 2014

et al. 2016

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In the Netherlands, 97 human leptospirosis cases were notified in 2014. This represents a 4.6-fold increase in autochthonous cases (n = 60) compared with the annual average between 2010 and 2013. Most cases had symptom onset between June and November. This marked increase in humans coincided with an increase of leptospirosis in dogs. In 2014, 13 dogs with leptospirosis were reported, compared with two to six dogs annually from 2010 to 2013. The majority of the autochthonous cases (n = 20) were linked to recreational exposure, e.g. swimming or fishing, followed by occupational exposure (n = 15). About sixty per cent (n = 37) of the autochthonous cases were most likely attributable to surface water contact, and 13 cases to direct contact with animals, mainly rats. A possible explanation for this increase is the preceding mild winter of 2013-2014 followed by the warmest year in three centuries, possibly enabling rodents and Leptospira spp. to survive better. A slight increase in imported leptospirosis was also observed in Dutch tourists (n = 33) most of whom acquired their infection in Thailand (n = 18). More awareness and early recognition of this mainly rodent-borne zoonosis by medical and veterinary specialists is warranted.

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“…Switzerland lacks an adequate surveillance system for this disease because human cases are not subjected to mandatory report for more than 15 years. Data from Europe indicated that the highest rates of leptospirosis occur in summer and fall [ 13 , 14 ]. Likewise, all described patients in this study suffered from leptospirosis either in summer (Case 2 in September 2014, Case 3 in August 2014) or in fall (Case 1 in October 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%