Leptospirosis (An Emerging Zoonosis)

About Book

It is evident that livestock diseases play both direct as well as indirect impact on animal and human health, as it not only affects the livelihood of farmers but also induces catastrophic effects on their income. Moreover, the indirect consequences of such diseases on human health are a major concern as more than two third of emerging infectious diseases in humans are zoonotic in nature and involve transmission of disease from an animal to a human host.

One of the most notable zoonotic infections is leptospirosis, which is commonly known as Weil’s disease, field fever, mud fever, etc. The lack of knowledge on this disease globally is a major problem. Thus, an effort to reconstitute the current knowledge on it is need of the hour. It is caused by a spirochete Leptospira and is a reemerging, zoonotic and waterborne disease worldwide. Due to negligence, rapid and unplanned urbanization, poor sanitation conditions in most of the developing countries and lack of assessment of current epidemiologic situation, leptospirosis has emerged as a leading cause of severe illness.

This monograph discusses the leptospirosis from all angles pertaining to its risk factors, causative agent, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations and diagnostic techniques with few illustrations from our lab. We hope that this monograph will enrich knowledge of the researchers and students in the field of leptospirosis.