Abstract
This article reports data concerning a serosurvey carried out in Southern Spain to assess the current epidemiological status of a population exposed to risk of leptospirosis. Microagglutination and IgM-EIA tests were carried out on sera from a sample of workers in agriculture-related occupations, exposed to marsh waters. A cohort of 197 workers were followed for a year in an active surveillance program to evaluate seroconversion (laboratory confirmed leptospirosis). The results have shown for the cohort a density of incidence: 6.4 × 100 persons per year, and for the reference population an accumulated incidence of 41.25/ 100,000. Prevalence rates (P) were 21.3 × 100 and 144 × 105 for the cohort and population respectively. Rates were higher in cray-fishers (P: 62.7%), rice-workers, and butchers. This is the first report identifying cray-fishers as a high risk group for leptospirosis, and the reporting of human contamination by Australis serogroup in Spain.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Grau A, Farrús M, Montaner I, Anguiz A, Luna J. Leptospirosis. Consideraciones a propósito de 9 cases. Enf Infec Microbiol Clin 1987; 5: 45–48.
Durich J, Pumarola A. La endemia de leptospirosis en la provincia de Valencia. Medicina Española 1955; 197: 3–10.
Gimeno de Sande A, Pumarola A. La leptospirosis en los arrozales de España (Encuesta epidemiológica Nacional). Rev San Hig Publ 1967; 41: l-15.
Marín I y grupo de estudio de fiebres en los trabajadores de la marisma. Leptospirosis: un problema de diagnóstico (Letter). Med Clin (Barc) 1991; 96: 194–195.
Everard CO, Hayes RJ, Fraser Chanpong GM. A serosurvey for leptospirosis in Trinidad among the urban and rural dwellers and persons occupationally at risk. Trans R See Trop Med Hyg 1985; 1: 96–105.
Ferguson RI. Leptospirosis update: The risk is small and may be reduced by simple precautions. Br Med J 1991; 302: 128–129.
WHO. Guidelines for the control of leptospirosis. WHO Offset Publication No. 67. Geneva, 1982.
Coghlan JD. Leptospirosis in man, British Isles, 1978. Br Med J 1979; 6: 872–873.
Crevatin D, Banfi E, Crotti D, Ruaro E, Cinco M. Serosurvey on the presence of leptospiral agglutinins in humans in northen Italy. Eur J Epidemiol 1986; 2: 44–47.
Sakula A, Moore W. Benign leptospirosis: First reported outbreak in British Isles due to strains belonging to the Hebdomadis serogroup of Leptospira interrogans. Br Med J 1969 (i): 226–228.
Caruso G, Rigili R, Conz P, Cinco M, Banfi E, De Lalla F. Human leptospirosis in the Vizenza area, Italy. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 1992; 11: 77–79.
Ciceroni L, Pinto A, Cacciapuoti B. Recent trends in human leptospirosis in Italy. Eur J Epidemiol 1988; 4: 49–54.
Waitkins SA. Leptospirosis as an occupational disease. Br J Indus Med 1986; 43: 721–725.
Tersptra WJ, Korver H, Schoneman C, Gravekamp C. Weil's disease, milker's fever and other leptospiroses, 1981–1987. Ned Tijdschr Geneesk 1989; 133:1322–1326.
Banfi E, Castagnari L Cinco M. Serosurvey of leptospira agglutinins among railway employees in the national railway compartments of Bologna and Venice. Eur J Epidemiol 1989; 5: 468–473.
Terpstra WJ, Ligthart GS, Schoone GJ. Serodiagnosis of human leptospirosis by enzyme-linked-inmunoabsorbent assay. Zbl Bakt Hyg, I Abt Orig 1980; 247: 400–405.
Blakmore DK, Schollum LM, Moriarty KM. The magnitude and duration of titres of leptospiral agglutinins in human sera. N Z Med J 1984; 97: 83–86.
Gale DA, Everard COR, Carrington DG, Everard JD. Leptospiral antibodies in patients from a Barbadian general practice. Eur J Epidemiol 1990: 6: 150–155.
Everard COR, Bennett S. Persistence of leptospiral agglutinins in Trinidadian survey subjects. Eur J Epidemiol 1990; 6: 40–44.
Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro Nacional de Epidemiología, Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo, España. Boletín Epidemiológico Semanal. Madrid, 1991.
Hawaii State Dept of Health, Research and Statistics Office. Statistical Report 1988. Honolulu, HI, 1984.
Thoinet S, Boucaud Maitre Y, Hutinel P, Cloppet H, Quenin P. Etude seroépidémiologique de 277 cas de leptospirose humaine dans le Centre-est de la France entre 1972 et 1984. Rev Epidem Santé Publ 1988; 36: 26–29.
Sasaki DM, Pang L, Minette HP, et al. Active surveillance and risk factors for leptospirosis in Hawaii. Am J Trop Med Hyg 1993; 48: 35–43.
Lázaro Brouet J. Estudio Epidemiológico de la leptospirosis en la provincia de Sevilla. Anales Universidad Hispalense 1960; 20: 95–141.
Pumarola Busquets A. Problematica de la leptospirosis en Espana. Actas del V Congreso Nacional de Microbiologia, Salamanca, 1975.
Cacciapuoti B, Velluci A, Ciceroni L, Pinto A, Taggi F. Prevalence of leptospirosis in man: Pilot survey. Eur J Epidemiol 1987; 3: 137–142.
Stanford CF, Connolly JH, Ellis WA, et al. Zoonotic infections in Northen Ireland farmers. Epidemiol Infect 1990; 105: 565–570.
Hogerzeil HV, Terpstra WJ, De Geus A, Korver H. Leptospirosis in rural Ghana. Trop Geogr Med 1986; 38:162–166.
Gill ON, Coghlan JD, Calder IM. The risk of leptospirosis in United Kingdom fish farm workers: Results from a 1981 serological survey. J Hyg Lond 1985; 1: 81–86.
Lupidi R, Cinco M, Balanzin D, Delprete E, Baraldo PE. Serological follow up of patients involved in a localized outbreak of leptospirosis. J Clin Microbiol 1991; 29: 805–809.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dastis-Bendala, C., de Villar-Conde, E., Marin-Leone, I. et al. Prospective serological study of leptospirosis in Southern Spain. Eur J Epidemiol 12, 257–262 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00145415
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00145415