Leptospirosis News and Research

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The pathogenic bacterial spirochetes of the Leptospiragenus are responsible for the infectious disease called leptospirosis. Both humans and animals can be infected and it is one of the most common infectious diseases of animals that can be transmitted naturally to humans. About 9 in every 10 people affected will experience mild flu-like symptoms. These include myalgia (muscle pain), chills, and headaches in the early stages. More severe presentations of the disease include internal hemorrhaging and multiple organ failure, which is life-threatening and is referred to as Weil’s disease.

Heavy rainfall and flooding raise infectious disease risks across Europe

A rapid review of 14 studies found that heavy rainfall and flooding were associated with outbreaks and increased incidence of several infectious diseases across Europe, particularly campylobacteriosis and leptospirosis. The authors highlighted major evidence gaps and called for stronger One Health surveillance, public health communication, sanitation, and flood-response planning.

10 Aug 2026

One Health framework guides sustainable control of global bacterial zoonoses

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Bacterial zoonoses such as brucellosis, salmonellosis, leptospirosis, anthrax, campylobacteriosis, and listeriosis remain major global health threats with substantial economic and social effects.

11 Jun 2026

Dog daycare outbreak exposes gaps in puppy leptospirosis vaccinations

A 2021 outbreak of leptospirosis that sickened more than 200 dogs in Los Angeles County reveals critical gaps in vaccination practices and raises broader concerns about the spread of the disease between animals and people, according to new research led by the University of California, Davis.

26 May 2026

What medicine-exposed rats reveal about the next urban zoonotic threat

Researchers found that more than half of urban rats sampled from low-income communities in Salvador, Brazil, carried active pharmaceutical ingredients in their brain tissue. These pollutants were associated with altered zoonotic infection patterns, including lower Leptospira infection probability in rats carrying azithromycin and higher Capillaria infection probability in rats carrying citalopram.

22 May 2026

Scientists uncover protein switch that turns on leptospirosis virulence

During infection, pathogens must adapt quickly to the conditions to thrive inside the body. A research team at the University of Basel, Switzerland, has uncovered how a key protein switches on the machinery that enables Leptospira pathogens to survive and cause disease.

27 Apr 2026

Yale researchers develop new test for early leptospirosis detection

In a new study, Yale School of Medicine (YSM) researchers unveiled a novel diagnostic method for detecting leptospiral virulence-modifying (VM) proteins in the blood and urine of hamsters, an advance that could pave the way for early diagnosis of the tropical disease leptospirosis in humans and improved treatment options.

29 Sep 2025

Examining leptospirosis prevalence and risk factors in China

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Leptospirosis is a re-emerging zoonotic disease that significantly impacts animals and human health worldwide.

12 Dec 2024

Rising waters, rising risks: The health impact of climate-driven floods

Flooding, driven by climate change, poses escalating health risks globally, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations while demanding innovative prevention, preparedness, and recovery strategies.

26 Nov 2024

Next-generation metagenomic sequencing test quickly detects any kind of pathogen

Next-generation metagenomic sequencing test developed at UCSF proves its effectiveness in quickly diagnosing almost any kind of pathogen.

12 Nov 2024

Leptospirosis research uncovers key factors in disease transmission

Corkscrew-shaped Leptospira and the potentially deadly disease they cause are tricky to study. The bacteria live in the kidneys of animals where they may or may not cause symptoms, and they are readily released into the environment whenever their host urinates.

19 Jul 2024

The essential role of the MPL36 protein in leptospirosis

The Leptospira membrane protein L36 (MPL36) is essential for its pathogenesis.

31 Jul 2023

SOUND-control: A COST Action advancing cattle disease control in Europe

Europe has faced its fair share of animal health crises, like the outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease, Avian influenza in the Netherlands (2003), and African swine fever. But what about the diseases present in many countries that don't grab the headlines?

12 Jul 2023

Why cheap, older drugs that might treat covid never get out of the lab

In March 2020, Dr. Joseph Vinetz left the contemplative world of his Yale University infectious-disease laboratory and plunged into the covid ward at Yale New Haven Hospital, joining an army of health care workers who struggled to treat the deadly viral disease.

19 Apr 2022

Study investigates if COVID-19 restrictions were associated with differences in health and lifestyle of Labradors

A new study investigated whether COVID-19 restrictions were associated with differences in Dogslife Labrador Retrievers' lifestyle.

15 Feb 2022

How did the COVID pandemic affect the spread of other zoonotic diseases?

In new research, scientists from the Beijing University of Technology have been investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence and mortality of zoonotic diseases in China. Their work is published in the journal BMJ Global Health.

12 Jan 2022

Penn scientists win 2021 Lasker Award for the discovery of therapeutic mRNA technology

As mRNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are deployed to protect hundreds of millions of people across the world and point the way to end the deadly global COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Pennsylvania scientists whose prescient discovery science effort laid the foundation for swift vaccine development have been awarded the 2021 Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award.

24 Sep 2021

Quick, inexpensive leptospirosis test strip kit to help lower death and disability risk

The Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University has brought out a quick, inexpensive, and easy-to-use leptospirosis test strip kit to help lower the risk of disability from internal organ failure and death, with the hopes of distributing them to community hospitals across the country.

14 Aug 2021

Could the European hedgehog be a sentinel for infectious agents and a harbinger of environmental pollution?

A recent review paper by Portuguese and Spanish authors, recently published in the journal Biologics, revealed the current state of knowledge regarding hedgehog health – most notably the presence of infectious agents, diseases and other threats that can affect the health of the population.

21 Jun 2021

Single-dose universal vaccine could protect against leptospirosis bacteria

Scientists have designed a single-dose universal vaccine that could protect against the many forms of leptospirosis bacteria, according to a study published today in eLife.

26 Jan 2021