Lepspirosis

1. LEPTOSPIRA
P. VASANTHAKUMAR
II B.SC. MICROBIOLOGY
PG & RESEARCH DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
AND MICROBIOLOGY
NATIONAL COLLEGE [AUTONOMOUS]
TRICHY-620001
TAMIL NADU, INDIA

2. INTRODUCTION
• LEPTOSPIRA IT IS AN ANCIENT GREEK (LEPTOS- FINE, THIN) AND LATIN
(SPIRA- COIL) WORD.
• PHYLUM- SPIROCHAETES
• ORDER -SPIROCHAETALES
• FAMILY -LEPTOSPIRACEAE
• GENUS -LEPTOSPIRA
• IT’S HAVE 23 TYPES OF SPECIES BASED ON DNA HYBRIDIZATION
STUDIES.

3. PATHOGENIC
• LEPTOSPIRA KIRSCHNERI
• LEPTOSPIRA NOGUCHII
• LEPTOSPIRA ALEXANDERI
NON-PATHOGENIC
• LEPTOSPIRA BIFLEXA
• LEPTOSPIRA MEYERI
• LEPTOSPIRA WOLBACHII
INTERMEDIATES
• LEPTOSPIRA FAINEI
• LEPTOSPIRA BROOMII
• LEPTOSPIRA WOLFFII

4. • IT WAS FIRST OBSERVED IN 1907 IN KIDNEY TISSUE SLICES OF A LEPTOSPIROSIS
VICTIM WHO DESCRIBED AS HAVING DIED OF YELLOW FEVER.
• ITS ALSO CALLED WEIL’S DISEASE, MUD FEVER, AUTUMN FEVER, HEMORRHAGIC
DISEASE, CANE CUTTER’S FEVER, STUTTGART FEVER, CANICOLA FEVER.
• IT’S HAVE A GOOD GROWTH IN WATER AND MOIST SOIL UNDER THE PH 7.2-
7.4
• IT WAS KILLED BY 60° C FOR 1 MIN.
• SENSITIVE TO PENICILLIN.
• RATS AND OTHER RODENTS ARE THE MAIN CARRIERS OF THE BACTERIA.

5. MORPHOLOGY
• THE LEPTOSPIRA APPEAR TIGHTLY COILED
THIN FLEXIBLE SPIROCHETES 5-15
MICRONS LONG AND 0.1 -0.2 MICRONS
DIAMETER WITH A WAVELENGTH OF
ABOUT 0.5 MICRON.
• ONE OR BOTH ENDS OF THE SPIROCHETE
ARE USUALLY HOOKED.
• THEY ARE SO THIN SO, LIVE LEPTOSPIRA
ARE BEST OBSERVED BY DARK FILED
MICROSCOPE
• GRAM NEGATIVE
• MOTILE BACTERIA
• IT’S HAVE TWO FLAGELLA FOR MOTILITY.
• AN AEROBIC BACTERIA UNDER 28°-30°C
• MARGIN- ENTIRE
• COLOUR- WHITE OR OPAQUE
• ELEVATION- FLAT
• .TEXTURE- MATTE, BRITTLE.
• SHAPE - ROUND

6. LABORATORY DIAGNOSIS
• BLOOD TO BE COLLECTED IN A HEPARIN TUBE.
• CSF, TISSUES MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION
• URINE TO BE COLLECTED WITH GREAT CARE TO AVOID
CONTAMINATION
• SERUM FOR AGGLUTINATION

7. CULTIVATION
• EMJH MEDIA
• STUART’S MEDIA
• KROTHOF’S MEDIA

8. EPIDEMIOLOGY
• THE LEPTOSPIROSIS DISEASE CAUSED BY THE LEPTOSPIRA.
• MOST WIDE SPREAD ZOONOTIC INFECTION IN NATURE.
• THIS DISEASE SPREAD THROUGH THE URINE OF INFECTED ANIMALS, GET INTO WATER OR SOIL
AND THEY CAN SURVIVE THERE FOR WEEK TO MONTHS.
• BY CATTLE, PIGS, DOGS, HORSES, RODENTS AND SOME WILD ANIMALS. WHEN THE ANIMAL ARE
INFECTED, THEY MAY HAVE NO SYMPTOMS OF THE DISEASE.
• HUMANS CAN BECOME INFECTED BY CONTACT WITH URINE OR OTHER BODY FLUIDS, EXCEPT
SALIVA FROM INFECTED ANIMALS BY SOIL, WATER, OR FOOD.
• THE BACTERIA CAN ENTER THE BODY THROUGH SKIN, MUCOUS MEMBRANES. ESPECIALLY IF THE
SKINS BROKEN FROM A CUT OR SCRATCH.
• PERSON TO PERSON TRANSMISSION IS RARE.

10. SINGS AND SYMPTOMS
IN HUMANS, LEPTOSPIROSIS CAN CAUSE A WIDE RANGE OF SYMPTOMS,
INCLUDING:
• HIGH FEVER
• HEADACHE
• CHILLS
• MUSCLE ACHES
• VOMITING
• JAUNDICE
• RED EYES
• ABDOMINAL PAIN DIARRHEA AND RASH

11. • SOME INFECTED PERSONS MAY HAVE NO SYMPTOMS AT
ALL.
• THE INFECTED PERSON SICK IN 2 DAYS TO 4 WEEKS.
• LEPTOSPIROSIS MAY OCCUR IN TWO PHASES:
1. FIRST PHASE ( FEVER, CHILLS, HEADACHE, MUSCLE ACHES,
VOMITING, OR DIARRHEA) THE PATIENT MAY RECOVER FOR A
TIME BUT BECOME ILL AGAIN.
2. IN THE SECOND PHASE OCCURS, IT IS MORE SEVERE; THE PERSON
MAY HAVE KIDNEY OR LIVER FAILURE OR MENINGITIS.

12. SEROLOGY
MICROSCOPIC AGGLUTINATION
TEST
• MAT HAS BEEN WIDELY USED
AS THE REFERENCE TEST FOR
ANTIBODY DETECTION.
• THE RESULTS ARE READ UNDER
THE DARK FIELD MICROSCOPE.
• THE STANDARDIZATION OF THE
MAT IS NOT POSSIBLE.
ELISA TEST
• SEVERAL IMMUNOASSAYS ARE
AVAILABLE AS COMMERCIAL KITS.
• DETECTION OF IGM AND RAZING
TITERS OF IGG WILL GUIDE IN
ASSOCIATION WITH CLINICAL
HISTORY WILL HELP IN
DIAGNOSIS.
IgM ANTBODIES ARE DETECTABLE IN THE BLOOD 5-7 DAYS AFTER THE ONSET OF SYMTOMS.

13. RISK OF EXPOSURE
• LEPTOSPIROSIS IS AN OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD FOR MANY PEOPLE
WHO WORK OUTDOORS OR WITH ANIMALS, SUCH AS:
1. FARMERS
2. MINE WORKERS
3. SEWER WORKERS
4. SLAUGHTERHOUSE WORKERS
5. VETERINARIANS AND ANIMAL CARETAKERS
6. FISH WORKERS
7. DAIRY FARMERS
8. MILITARY PERSONNEL
9. OUTDOOR SPORTSMEN

14. TREATMENT
• LEPTOSPIROSIS IS TREATED WITH ANTIBIOTICS, SUCH AS
DOXYCYCLINE OR PENICILLIN, WHICH SHOULD BE GIVEN
EARLY IN THE COURSE OF THE DISEASE. GIVEN BY INJECTION
IN DOSES OF 5 MEGA UNITS IN A DAY, FOR 5 DAYS.
• OTHER ALTERNATIVES
• AMPICILLINE
• AMOXICILLIN

15. VACCINATION
• VACCINATION FOR HUMANS IS JUSTIFIED WHERE THEY CANNOT BE
SEPARATED FROM ANIMAL SOURCES OR WHERE THE ANIMALS CANNOT
BE IMMUNIZED SUCCESSFULLY.
• NECESSITY OF HUMAN VACCINATED WILL ARISE WHERE PEOPLE LIVE
AND WORK IN PROXIMITY TO RODENTS IN WET, TROPICAL
CONDITIONS, IN WET RICE PLANTING AND HARVESTING , IN MILITARY
OPERATIONS, OR WORKING IN SEWERS.
• YET NO UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED VACCINE IS AVAILABLE.