Poster by Jackie Benschop, Kathryn Allan, Ahmed Fayaz, Armanda Bastos, Julie Collins-Emerson, John A. Crump, Gauthier Dobigny, Mohamed El Azhari, Wael F. El-Tras, Jo Halliday, Stephane Kouadio Koffi, Johanna Lindahl, Georgies Mgode10, Mark Moseley, Benjamin Mubemba, Preneshni Naicker, Soanandrasana Rahelinirina, Fanjasoa Rakotomanana, Pierre-Alain Rubbo and other members of the African Leptospirosis Network presented at the 4th International One Health Congress and 6th Biennial Congress of the International Association for Ecology and Health (One Health EcoHealth 2016), Melbourne, Australia, 3–7 December 2016.

1. Leptospirosis has been overlooked in Africa and lack of
awareness has been a major limitation in quantifying the
burden of disease. Medical clinicians often lack
awareness of leptospirosis as a differential diagnosis
for malaria and other endemic acute febrile illnesses1
and have limited access to laboratory facilities for
diagnostic support. The lack of data on leptospirosis in
many African countries2
means that local public and
animal health officials and governments are unaware of
this disease and its potential impact on both human and
animal health, as well as consequent socio-economic
and environmental impacts.
Leptospirosis research activities have remained
fragmented with researchers from both Africa and
elsewhere often working in isolation. There is very little
disease-specific infrastructure or expertise in Africa
and with little continuity at study sites, within countries
or indeed within regions. However, several leptospirosis
workers are involved in projects in the African
countries3-5
and many people receive regular requests
from students and professionals interested in working
on leptospirosis in Africa. A clear need has been
identified to bring together those involved with and
concerned about the leptospirosis situation in Africa to
address and overcome these challenges.
BUILDING AN AFRICAN LEPTOSPIROSIS NETWORK
Jackie Benschop1
, Kathryn Allan2
, Ahmed Fayaz1
, Armanda Bastos3
, Julie Collins-Emerson1
,
John A. Crump4
, Gauthier Dobigny5
, Mohamed El Azhari6
, Wael F. El-Tras7
, Jo Halliday2
,
Stephane Kouadio Koffi8
, Johanna Lindahl9
, Georgies Mgode10
, Mark Moseley11
, Benjamin
Mubemba12
, Preneshni Naicker13
, Soanandrasana Rahelinirina14
, Fanjasoa Rakotomanana14
,
Pierre-Alain Rubbo15
, and other members of the African Leptospirosis Network
1
Massey University, New Zealand; 2
University of Glasgow, Scotland; 3
University of
Pretoria, South Africa; 4
University of Otago, New Zealand; 5
Université d'Abomey-Calavi,
Benin; 6
Pasteur Institute of Morocco, Morocco; 7
Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt;
8
Université Félix Houphouet-Boigny, Cote d’Ivoire; 9
International Livestock Research
Institute, Kenya; 10
Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania; 11
University of Aberdeen,
Scotland; 12
Copperbelt University, Zambia; 13
University of Cape Town, South Africa;
14
Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Madagascar; 15
Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Central
African Republic.
Leptospirosis Researchers at Massey University, New
Zealand and at the University of Glasgow, Scotland with
Dr Rudy Hartskeerl from the WHO/FAO/OIE Leptospirosis
Reference Laboratory in the Netherlands have
established a network to foster communication and
advance activities and initiatives around leptospirosis in
the African continent. At November 29 2016 we have 47
people in the network with approximately half located on
the continent. Current network participants heighten
awareness of this network and identify individuals and
institutional and governmental agencies who would
benefit from membership.
Through our Alfresco Collaboration Platform:
• those with an interest in leptospirosis in Africa are
identified, and can participate and share expertise
• existing, new and evolving evidence for the presence,
epidemiology, management and burden of
leptospirosis in African countries is disseminated and
shared
• evidence about leptospirosis in humans, animals and
the environment can be collated and used to raise
awareness of this disease in African countries and
internationally
• capacity building in areas of disease recognition,
epidemiology, and management in people, animals
and the environment can be encouraged
• protocols can be made available (e.g. laboratory
SOPs, rodent trapping and abattoir sampling)
• funding sources can be identified and pursued
Background
Why build a network?
A keynote presentation on ‘Leptospirosis: commonly
forgotten in Africa’ (Georgies Mgode, Sokoine
University of Agriculture, Tanzania) led to an informal
meeting of leptospirologists interested in assisting the
development of awareness and understanding of
leptospirosis in Africa at the European Leptospirosis
Society Meeting (April 2015, The Netherlands).
Subsequently, a second, larger meeting was held in
association with the International Leptospirosis Society
meeting (October 2015, Indonesia) to further develop
plans to establish a formal network of those involved in,
or interested in being involved in, researching
leptospirosis in Africa. And this was endorsed at the
Global Leptospirosis Environmental Action Network
(GLEAN, WHO) meeting (November 2015, Brazil).
Growing interest in lepto in Africa
Whatarewedoing?
Geographic distribution of acute human leptospirosis and
confirmed animal Leptospira spp. infection in Africa.
Adapted from Allan et al. (2015) PLoS NTD 9(9) e0003899.
Future plans
We aim to identify which of the following are useful
recommendations or interventions for addressing
human leptospirosis in diverse settings in Africa:
• Assessment of the performance of currently
available rapid tests in multiple settings to help with
case detection.
• A diagnostic algorithm that could be used in the
absence of a laboratory test.
• Clinical guidelines for managing patients with severe
leptospirosis (either from a confirmed or suspected
diagnosis).
• An evidence-based chemoprophylaxis protocol.
• Support for identification of infecting serovar.
• Securing scholarships for attendance at the
International Leptospirosis Society meeting and
workshops in New Zealand in 2017.
• Holding an African Leptospirosis Network meeting in
2018 in Africa.
References
1. Crump JA, Morrissey AB, Nicholson WL, et al. Etiology of
severe non-malaria febrile illness in Northern Tanzania: a
prospective cohort study. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2013;7:e2324.
2. Allan KJ, Biggs HM, Halliday JE, et al. Epidemiology of
Leptospirosis in Africa: A Systematic Review of a Neglected
Zoonosis and a Paradigm for 'One Health' in Africa. PLoS Negl
Trop Dis 2015;9:e0003899.
3. Dreyfus A, Dyal JW, Pearson R, et al. Leptospira
Seroprevalence and Risk Factors in Health Centre Patients in
Hoima District, Western Uganda. PLoS Negl Trop Dis
2016;10:e0004858.
4. Dobigny G, Garba M, Tatard C, et al. Urban Market Gardening
and Rodent-Borne Pathogenic Leptospira in Arid Zones: A
Case Study in Niamey, Niger. PLoS Negl Trop Dis
2015;9:e0004097.
5. Mgode GF, Machang'u RS, Mhamphi GG, et al. Leptospira
Serovars for Diagnosis of Leptospirosis in Humans and
Animals in Africa: Common Leptospira Isolates and Reservoir
Hosts. Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases 2015;9.
Boma, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya
Irrigation, Niamey, Niger
Dissection, Pasteur Institute, Cote d'Ivoire
Market, Weru Weru, TanzaniaGrazing, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania
Network member
Both animal and human illness data
Animal carrier data only
Human illness data only
No data
Sampling, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania
Dumping Site, Côte d’Ivoire