What is Leptospirosis?

Leptospirosis is an infectious bacterial disease caused by leptospires.  These multiply in the kidneys of animals and are shed in the urine. They can also infect reproductive tissue. Leptospirosis affects many types of animals as well as humans.

How do humans catch Leptospirosis?

It's easier to catch than you might think. Often, the contaminated animal you catch it off doesn't show any signs of having it. Transmission of the bacteria occurs when infected animal urine, or water contaminated with urine, gets in your eyes, nose, mouth or through cracks in your skin.

For dairy farmers it is usually by way of infected cattle urine through cuts in the skin, assisting in animal birth, or handling membranes, kidneys or bladders. Infected pigs are also a common source of infection for humans because of the exposure to urine. Contact with urine from infected rats, mice and hedgehogs is also a common source of infection, e.g. handling calf feed contaminated by rat urine.

What are the symptoms for humans?

It may just feel like a bad case of flu, with headaches and fever. You may develop a rash and red or yellow eyes. Some people become seriously ill and need hospital intensive care and it can cause death. The disease might progress to kidney failure, liver failure or meningitis, requiring hospitalisation. Pregnant women who catch Leptospirosis can miscarry. Symptoms are often prolonged and recurrent because the physical damage to the kidney and liver may remain after the infection has cleared. Some farmers who have contracted leptospirosis have permanent kidney failure and so require dialysis. Leptospirosis can be very costly as people may be unable to work for months, or even unable to fulfil the physical requirements of running a farm.

Read our Leptospirosis facts and case studies to see how leptospirosis affects humans.