Leptospirosis in a subsistence farming community in Brazil

• Published in: Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Vol. 102; no. 12; pp. 1233 - 1238
• Main Authors: Lacerda, Hênio G., Monteiro, Gloria R., Oliveira, Carlos C.G., Suassuna, Fernando B., Queiroz, Jose W., Barbosa, James D.A., Martins, Daniella R., Reis, Mitemayer G., Ko, Albert I., Jeronimo, Selma M.B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2008; Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Agricultural Workers' Diseases - blood; Agricultural Workers' Diseases - epidemiology; Antibodies, Bacterial - blood; Bacterial diseases; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Brazil; Brazil - epidemiology; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease outbreaks; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; General aspects; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Immunoglobulin M - blood; Infectious diseases; Leptospira - immunology; Leptospirosis; Leptospirosis - blood; Leptospirosis - epidemiology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Rural Health; Rural population; Surveillance; Young Adult; South America; Brazil; America; Leptospirosis; Brazil; Prevalence; Surveillance; Disease outbreaks; Rural population; Epidemic; Rural environment; Epidemiology; Infection; Spirochaetosis; Bacteriosis; Tropical medicine
• ISSN: 0035-9203; 1878-3503
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trstmh.2008.05.010

Leptospirosis has been reported in rural areas of Brazil. However, there is limited information about the exposure risk or the risk of Leptospira infection for rural-based populations. A cross-sectional study was carried out in order to determine the prevalence and risk factors for prior Leptospira infection in a rural subsistence farming region of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, an area in which outbreaks of leptospirosis have occurred. Among 290 individuals enrolled, 44 (15.2%) had anti- Leptospira IgM antibodies as determined by IgM ELISA. Infection tended to occur with activities related to the rice fields ( P = 0.08). Our findings indicate that Leptospira infection occurs even in years of low rainfall, and may have an important impact among poor rural-based subsistence farmers in Brazil. Additional studies are needed to characterize the mode of transmission in this region.