LEPTOSPIROSIS

Leptospirosis has emerged as an important public health problem during the last few years due to sudden increase in the number of reported cases and outbreaks world-wide. It is one of the most common zoonotic diseases, favoured by a tropical climate and flooding during the monsoon. This disease is caused by the virus name called Leptospires which can enter their human hosts through intact skin or mucous membranes, but entry is facilitated by cuts and abrasions. In humans the main organs affected are the kidneys, liver and brain. Mostly this disease is common in tropical countries and also in freshwater areas. The incubation period averages 1-2 weeks. The symptoms produced by this disease are non specific illness in which there is high fever accompanied by weakness, muscle pain, headache etc.Diagnosis of this disease depends upon isolation oforganism, serological tests or the detection of specific DNA and it appear in urine during the second week of illness but in case of untreated patients it may be recovered on culture for several months. Antibiotic s for the treatment of leptospirosis are a form of care for which the evidence is insufficient to provide clear guidelines for practice. The general care of the patient is critically important .Blood should be taken early for grouping and cross-matching, and hemorrhage treated by blood transfusion and renal failure demands very careful management since it is the usual cause of death.