Leptospirosis - Review

Abstract

 Leptospirosis is an infectious systemic disease; its occurrence is evidenced in tropical and subtropical regions. It is prevalent in the Americas, occurring endemically in Latin America and Caribbean. In the Brazil, the disease is endemic; outbreaks are common during the rainy season. Leptospirosis is also considered an occupational risk of disease, affecting agricultural workers (rice paddies and sugarcane), miners, garbage and cleaning charge of public collectors, workers of water and sewage, as well as veterinarians and keepers of animals. In this way, this study proposes a systematic review of the scientific publication on the factors associated with leptospirosis. The method logy screened available studies in SciELO, MEDLINE, and LILACS. The control of animal leptospirosis should be based on the integration of prophylactic measures imposed simultaneously on all three levels of the chain of transmission: infection source (infected vertebrates), transmission routes (water, soil and contaminated fomites), likely vertebrates uninfected and not immunized and protection to it, which is achieved with the use of inactivated vaccines containing the serotypes of Leptospira.