Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale (IZS) of Sicily "A. Mirri", Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy.
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale (IZS) of Sicily "A. Mirri", Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy.
J Infect Public Health. 2018 Mar-Apr;11(2):209-214. doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2017.07.024. Epub 2017 Aug 10.
Many regions of the world are increasingly exposed to leptospirosis due to poverty, global warming and high urban density. Here, we report a molecular survey for pathogenic Leptospira spp. in rodents and two symptomatic human cases of leptospirosis in the city of Palermo, Italy. Four rodent species were captured in six areas of the city, and a molecular analysis for pathogenic Leptospira spp. on DNA from the kidney samples showed a different prevalence of leptospirosis in all the species of rodents. In addition, two human cases that occurred in May and October of 2009 in the city were also reported. A 67-year-old woman recovered after antibiotic treatment, whereas a 71-year-old woman did not survive. The weather during both of those times was notable for a violent cloudburst that caused street flooding. For the past several years, the incidence of leptospirosis has remained steady at 9 human cases every 10 years across the entire island of Sicily, with a population of almost 5 million inhabitants. The high prevalence of leptospirosis in rodents and the simultaneous presence of known risk factors, such as a mild/wet climate, street flooding and garbage accumulation, could explain the two cases of leptospirosis within the same city in the same year. This occurrence should raise awareness of this under-estimated zoonosis among public health authorities, especially given the potential fatality among elderly and immune-compromised individuals in urban settings in developed countries.
由于贫困、全球变暖以及高密度的城市环境，世界上许多地区面临着越来越多的钩端螺旋体病威胁。在这里，我们报告了一项针对意大利巴勒莫市啮齿动物中致病性钩端螺旋体 spp. 以及两例有症状的人类钩端螺旋体病的分子调查。在该市的六个区域捕获了四种啮齿动物，对来自肾脏样本的 DNA 进行的致病性钩端螺旋体 spp. 分子分析显示，所有啮齿动物物种的钩端螺旋体病流行率不同。此外，还报告了 2009 年 5 月和 10 月在该市发生的两例人类病例。一名 67 岁的女性在接受抗生素治疗后康复，而一名 71 岁的女性则没有幸存。在这两个时期，天气都有明显的暴雨，导致街道洪水泛滥。在过去的几年中，整个西西里岛的钩端螺旋体病发病率一直稳定在每 10 年 9 例，而该岛的人口接近 500 万。啮齿动物中钩端螺旋体病的高流行率以及温和/潮湿的气候、街道洪水和垃圾堆积等已知危险因素的同时存在，可以解释同年同一城市中发生的两例钩端螺旋体病。这种情况应该引起公共卫生当局对这种被低估的人畜共患病的认识，尤其是在发达国家的城市环境中，老年和免疫功能低下者存在潜在的致命性。
