Leptospirosis

Oleh :

Dr. dr. Efrida Warganegara, M.Kes., Sp.MK

 Introduction
Leptospira are thightly spirochaetes 5-15 μm long.
They show active rotational movement and have
two flagella-like axial filaments. There is best seen
by dark-filed microscopy because they are not
very well stained by dyes
L. interrogans causes disease Leptospirosis, a
slender aerobic Gram negative spirochaetes with
hooked ends. There are more than 250 antigenic
types of this species.
This species infects mammals such as rats, causing
chronic kidney infection with excretion of large
number of bateria in urine.
 Introduction
The spirochaetes are soon killed on drying,
heating, detergen, desinfectans, but they
remain viable for several weeks in stagnant
alkaline water or wet soil
Human are infected by Ingestion of or exposure
to contaminated water or food. The bacteria
aided by their motility, enter breaks in skin or
mucosae, so that infection can be acquired by
swimming, working, playing in contaminated
water
 LEPTOSPIROSIS – Sign and symptoms
Leptospirosis is mainly a disease of animals,
but it can be passed to human.
The causative bacterium enters the body
through a mucous membrane or wound and is
then carried to the urinary system by the
blood stream
Leptospirosis infections are often
asymptomatic, when sign and symptom do
occur, they begin after an incubation period
average 10 days (range 2 to 30 days)
 LEPTOSPIROSIS – Sign and symptoms
In mild cases, most common, symptom are
flulike, and include the sudden development
of headache, spiking fever, chills, muscle
pain, bloodshot eyes in the first (septicemia)
phase, then 1-3 days of improvement : heart,
brain, liver, and kidney damage in the second
(immune) phase
 LEPTOSPIROSIS - Pathogenesis
The bacteria penetrate mucous membranes or
breaks in the skin, multiply in the bloodstream,
and are carried to all parts of the body.
Septicemia phase : severe pain with penetration
of body tissues, but little or no tissue damage.
Immune phase : damage to cells that line small
blood vessel and clotting of blood. Causes
severe damage to the liver, kidney, heart,
brain, and others organ
 LEPTOSPIROSIS - Epidemiology
Leptospirosis is a zoonosis and man is an
un-natural or ‘end’ host and does not
transmit the infection further.
Worldwide distribution. Wide range of
animal hosts chronically excrete the
bacteria in their urine, causing
contamination of natural waters and
soils. Organisms remain infectious
under warm, moist, neutral or alkaline
conditions for long periodes of time
 LEPTOSPIROSIS – Treatment and Prevention

Treatment : various antibacterial

medications useful in treatment of
leptospirosis, but only if given early in
the disease
Prevention : avoiding contact with animal
urine. Vaccine prevent disease in
domestic animals, may not urinary
carriage. Tetracycline antibiotics
preventive in epidemics