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Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 18e
| Part 8. Infectious Diseases > Section 9. Spirochetal Diseases > |
Chapter 171. Leptospirosis
Sections: Leptospirosis: Introduction, Further Readings.
Topics Discussed: leptospirosis.
Excerpt:"Leptospirosis is a globally important zoonotic disease caused by spirochetes of the genus Leptospira (Fig. 171-1). In 1885, Adolf Weil described the clinical hallmarks of this disease as an acute process characterized by splenomegaly, jaundice, and nephritis. With time, the designation Weil's disease came to signify severe leptospirosis characterized by diverse clinical findings, particularly fever, jaundice, acute renal injury, refractory shock, and hemorrhage (especially pulmonary hemorrhage). The global burden of leptospirosis is hard to quantify because of the difficulties encountered in its clinical diagnosis and the lack of efficient confirmatory laboratory testing, which limits public health reporting.The genus Leptospira (order Spirochetales, family Leptospiraceae) constitutes the most ancient lineage of spirochetes pathogenic for humans and the only spirochetes that can live both in animals and free in the environment. This genus includes 20 named species, 9 of which are classified as pathogenic, 5 as intermediately pathogenic, and 6 as nonpathogenic (saprophytic) based on molecular phylogenetic analysis (Fig. 171-2). Of the pathogenic and intermediate Leptospira species, more than 250 serovars—classified on..."
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