Prevention Of Leptospirosis Research Articles

Relationship Factors of Prevention of Leptospirosis Disease Prevention of Rat Rate in Tandang Village, Semarang City

Based on data from the Semarang City Health Office, the highest rat population in Tembalang District in 2019 was in Tandang Village, with 164 rats caught. In addition, in 2018 there were 4 cases of Leptospirosis in Tandang Village and Leptospirosis was the highest infectious disease in Tandang Village, Tembalang District, Semarang City. This study aims to determine the relationship between the behavioral factors of leptospirosis disease prevention on rat density in Tandang Village, Semarang City. This study is a cross sectional study with a total sample of 64 respondents (RW 03 Tandang Village, Semarang City). The results of the analysis showed that the relative density of rats (trap success) in Tandang village was 28.1% and it was categorized as dense (> 7%) and showed that there was no relationship between knowledge of rat density (α = 0.05. P = 0.068), community attitudes. In the prevention of leptospirosis on rat density (α = 0.05. p = 0.07), there was a relationship between leptospirosis prevention behavior and rat density (α = p = 0.00). Conclusion: There is no relationship between knowledge and attitude in the prevention of leptospirosis on rat density. There is a relationship between leptospirosis prevention practices and rat density in Tandang Village, Semarang City.

The Influencing Factors of The Leptospirosis Prevalence in the Working Area of the Kebonagung Public Health Center

Leptospirosis is an infectious disease in the world caused by the bacterium Leptospira sp. The Kebonagung Public Health Center reported 34 cases of leptospirosis in 2023. The purpose of the study is to determine the factors influencing the leptospirosis prevalence in the Working Area of the Kebonagung Public Health Center. The type of this research was quantitative using a case control study design. The number of samples obtained were 22 cases and 22 controls. The sampling technique used were non probability sampling with purposive sampling. Univariate data analysis construed the frequency distribution, bivariate analysis with Chi-square test, and multivariate analysis with logistic regression test. The results of the bivariate analysis shows that there is an influence between education (p-value=0,018), occupation (p-value=0,037), and past injury (p-value=0,003) on the prevalence of leptospirosis in the working area of the Kebonagung Public Health Center. There is no influence between income (p-value 0,280) and personal hygiene (p-value=0,203) on the leptospirosis prevalence in the working area of the Kebonagung Public Health Cente,. The results of multivariate analysis shows that the factor that most influenced the prevalence of leptospirosis in the working area of the Kebonagung Public Health Center, is past injuries with (p-value=0,006). It is hoped that the public will adopt clean and healthy living habits, especially in caring for wounds and with Increasing leptospirosis surveillance, cross-sectoral coordination, and also familiarization of leptospirosis prevention and control need to be conducted as soon as possible to prevent the prevalence of leptospirosis.

Knowledge, attitude and practices of preventive measures in leptospirosis among farmers in a lower-middle income country: evidence from a divisional health area of Sri Lanka

Introduction: Sri Lanka continues to have a high case burden of leptospirosis despite rigorous preventive activities undertaken, with significant morbidity and mortality among econom ically active age groups. Hence, it is time to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices on preventive measures am ong high-risk groups to generate evidence needed to design new interventions. Objectives: To describe the knowledge, attitude and practices of pre ventive measures in leptospirosis among farmers Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted a mong 426 farmers in Pelmadulla Medical Officer of Health (MOH) Area. Taking one farmer community as a cluster, seve n clusters were chosen using cluster sampling method out of the 28 farmer communities registered. Data were coll ected using a pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire. The knowledge, attitude and practice scores were calc ulated based on a scoring system prepared with expert inputs. Results: The response rate of the study was 97%. The sample mainly consisted of 40-59 years (n=227; 53.2%), predominantly of males 91.1% (n=388) and majority (69.7%) had se condary education. It was evident that 81.9% (n=349) of the study sample had satisfactory knowledge with a mean of 7.88 ( SD=1.38) while 72.8% (n=310) of the study sample had a good attitude with a mean of 7.54 (SD=1.578). Only 16.4% (n= 70) of the study sample had good practice-scores on leptospirosis preventive measures with a mean of 12.03 (SD=2.8). Conclusions & Recommendations: Knowledge and attitudes on lept ospirosis prevention were satisfactory among farmers, though practices were poor. Behavioural modification-focused aware ness programs for changing the practice of preventive measures need to be planned to address the identified gaps in knowl edge and attitude.

Evaluation of protective efficacy, serological responses, and cytokine modulation induced by polyvalent Leptospira vaccines in hamsters

Whole-cell inactivated vaccines (bacterins) are the only licensed vaccines available for leptospirosis prevention and control, especially in domestic and farm animals. However, despite their widespread use, inconsistencies in their efficacy have been reported. Because immunity induced by bacterins is mainly mediated by antibodies against leptospiral lipopolysaccharides, the involvement of cellular responses is not well-known. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and characterize the humoral and cellular immune responses induced by whole-cell inactivated leptospirosis bacterin formulations containing serovars Bratislava, Canicola, Copenhageni, Grippotyphosa, Hardjoprajitno, and Pomona. For the potency test, hamsters were immunized with one dose of polyvalent bacterins (either commercial or experimental) and then challenged with a virulent Pomona strain. Serological (MAT and IgM and IgG-ELISA) and cellular (cytokine transcription in blood evaluated by RT-qPCR) analyses were performed. The results revealed that vaccination with either bacterin formulation was able to protect 90–100% of the hamsters infected with the Pomona serovar, although most of the surviving animals remained as renal carriers. Specific agglutinating antibodies and significant levels of IgM, IgG, and IgG2 (P < 0.05) that were able to react with the six serovars present in the vaccine formulations were produced, indicating that the vaccines can potentially provide immunity against all strains. The protective immunity of these vaccines was mainly mediated by balanced a Th1/Th2 response, characterized by increased IFN-γ, IL-10 and IL-α transcription. These data support the importance of characterizing immunological responses involved in bacterin efficacy and investing in the improvement of these vaccine formulations.

Seroprevalence of Leptospirosis in Cattle in Smallholder Livestock Production Systems in Bungoma County, Kenya

Leptospirosis is an important re-emerging bacterial zoonosis of public health importance in Kenya. It is transmitted through contact with contaminated soil, water, or urine of infected animals. The disease is associated with high economic losses which include high cost of diagnosis and treatment, disruption of international trade in animals and animal products and loss of milk production following mastitis among others. In this study, the sero-prevalence of bovine leptospirosis in Kimilili and Mt Elgon Sub-Counties of Bungoma County in Kenya was estimated. A cross-sectional study was conducted between April to July, 2017 where blood serum samples from 200 head of cattle from five wards and one slaughter house using systematic random sampling technique. The samples were then subjected to the Enzyme Linked Immunorsorbent Assay (ELISA) test. The findings show an overall sero-prevalence for leptospirosis in cattle in the study area to be 16%. The sero-prevalence of leptospirosis in the study area by wards is as follows; 10.7% in Kibingei, 12.5% in Kimilili, 17.6 in Maeni, 16.7% in Kamukuywa and 15.6% in Kaptama. The study also reveals that the sero-prevalence was relatively higher in Kimilili Slaughterhouse which recorded 21.0%. The study therefore demonstrates that there is a high sero-prevalence of leptospirosis in cattle in Kimilili and Mt Elgon Sub-Counties, Bungoma County. This study therefore provides critical public health information which is necessary in guiding leptospirosis prevention and control in Bungoma County. It is therefore recommended that strategies for surveillance and laboratory diagnosis of leptospirosis should be initiated in Bungoma County. This will help in providing better estimates of leptospirosis burden in the county.

Leptospirosis Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Town Service Workers in Kuching, Malaysia

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate town service personnel’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding leptospirosis prevention and the influencing factors to its practice. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Kuching, Malaysia, involving town service workers using a self-administered validated questionnaire comprising sociodemographic and KAP information. The eligibility criteria included 18 years old and above and having worked for more than six months. The KAP was determined using descriptive analysis, and associations were identified using logistic regression analysis. Results: About 189 town service workers responded, giving a response rate of 87.5%, and a majority of them were Bumiputera Sarawak, with a mean age of 38.6 (±11.00) years old. The mean duration of employment was 9.3 (±6.99) years. About 88.9% had good knowledge of leptospirosis. Meanwhile, 85.2% and 79.9% had satisfactory attitudes and good practices. The knowledge on the aetiology of leptospirosis ranged from 25% to 94%. No significant association was found between the knowledge score and income with the practice score. The attitude score (AOR 1.161; 95% CI = 1.090, 1.238; p = 0.000) and working experience (AOR 1.174; 95% CI = 1.023, 1.346; p = 0.022) were found to be significantly associated with their practice score. Conclusion: Most town service workers have good knowledge and practice regarding leptospirosis prevention. Workers with good attitudes demonstrate good practising habits toward leptospirosis prevention. Awareness and activities related to disease prevention should be encouraged to ensure the continuity of a positive attitude.

Etiological structure and specific prevention of leptospirosis in cattle

Etiological structure and specific prevention of leptospirosis in cattle

Pyramid Pest-Control Community-Ecosystem-Management as an Effort to Prevent Leptospirosis

Klaten Regency has the highest cases in Central Java during the last 3 years. Leptospirosis IR has increased 3-fold compared to 2021. In 2022, there will be 80 cases with CFR of 7.5% IR of 6.27/100,000 population, this figure exceeds the national maximum target (≤3/100,000 population). Juwiring is one of the sub-districts with a rapid increase in leptospirosis cases. This study aims to determine differences in the level of knowledge of PKK mothers regarding leptospirosis and efforts to prevent the increase in leptospirosis cases in Bulurejo through Pyramid Pest-Control Community-Ecosystem-Management. The research was conducted in July – August 2023. This research used a pre-experimental approach with one group pretest – posttest design. The research sample consisted of PKK mothers in Bulurejo, Juwiring District, Klaten Regency. Data analysis was performed using Wilcoxon test. The results obtained are p-value 0.001 indicating there is a difference in increasing knowledge before and after being given counseling activities. Counseling activities can have a positive effect on increasing the knowledge of PKK mothers regarding leptospirosis prevention.

Characteristics of leptospirosis cases, prevention and control managements 1955–2020, Guangzhou, China

BackgroundLeptospirosis, which is an easily overlooked zoonotic disease, was once widespread in Guangzhou, China. However, due to the implementation of control measures, the number of cases is decreasing. Based on the characteristics of leptospirosis cases in Guangzhou, China, between 1955 and 2020, we describe the changes and achievements in prevention and control management strategies over that period. MethodsThe development of the leptospirosis control system in Guangzhou occurred over three periods: Period I: 1955–1978; Period II: 1979–2000; and Period III: 2001–2020. Data about leptospirosis cases were obtained from the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and national health departments. The demographic characteristics of leptospirosis patients were analyzed using descriptive statistics. ResultsDuring Period I, only the Guangzhou CDC and medical institutions at every level participated in the leptospirosis control system. During Period II, additional types of organizations, including local CDCs, countryside committees, community committees, and the Patriotic Health Movement Commission, were involved in the control system. Additionally, strong links were established between different organizations. After entering Period III, an increasing number of departments joined the cooperation, and the management of human patients was expanded to include the management of host animals, and thus, the prevalence of leptospirosis was monitored and controlled in various ways. The leptospirosis control system in Guangzhou has been further improved. From 1955 to 2020, a total of 2501 leptospirosis cases were recorded in Guangzhou, and the number of cases decreased significantly over time, from 1608 (Period I) to 744 (Period II) and then to 149 (Period III). ConclusionThe improvements of the leptospirosis control system in Guangzhou that occurred over decades were associated with a marked decrease in the number of leptospirosis cases. Guangzhou's experience can provide guidance for other countries or cities around the world facing similar challenges.

CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES ON LEPTOSPIROSIS IN CHILDREN 2019

Leptospirosis is a disease prevalent mostly in tropical and subtropical countries. Its potential to be a concerning problem emerges with the onset of the rainy season, as flooding and heavy rainfall facilitate disease epidemics. Among those at risk of contracting the disease are field workers, veterinarians, sewer workers, military personnel and those who swim or wade in contaminated waters. In the absence of an existing evidence-based guideline for the pediatric age group, this first edition hopes to standardize approach to diagnosis, antibiotic management, and prevention of leptospirosis. The intended users are primary care physicians, family medicine physicians, pediatricians, and other healthcare workers involved in the management of leptospirosis in children. Ten priority questions were identified by a group of experts composed of an oversight committee, a guideline writing panel, and a technical review committee. The GRADE methodology was used to determine the quality of evidence of each recommendation. The draft recommendations (summarized below) were finalized after these were presented to and voted on by a panel of stakeholders.

Potensi Penularan Leptospirosis pada Petugas Rumah Pemotongan Hewan di Kota Salatiga

Background: Slaughterhouse workers have a risk of contracting leptospirosis because of daily contact with animal blood and urine. The purpose of the study was to describe the incidence of leptospirosis and measure the level of knowledge of workers and examine the relationship between demographic characteristics, the knowledge and the prevention behavior of leptospirosis.Methods: All technical staff of Slaughterhouse at Salatiga (30 people) were selected as participants. Data was collected in July 2016 through structured interviews. Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) was used to test the workers serum for leptospirosis. Data were analyzed using the Fisher-exact test. Result: According to the findings, most respondents were male, between the ages of 26 and 50, and had low education background. Most respondents are unaware that leptospirosis is a serious disease and 73.3 percent of respondents had never heard of leptospirosis. The majority of participants reported negative MAT values. The majority of Slaughterhouse workers have never heard of leptospirosis and have little awareness of leptospirosis preventive methods, so they may be at risk of having the infection.Conclusion: There is no leptospirosis incidence in Slaughterhouse Salatiga, however, one worker had a history of leptospirosis exposure.There was no significant relationship between age, gender, and education level with knowledge and behavior, but the knowledge was significantly correlated with leptospirosis prevention behavior. Slaughterhouse officers are advised to receive health education about leptospirosis prevention to increase awareness of the need for self-protection in the workplace.

Use of an Integrated Multi-Omics Approach To Identify Molecular Mechanisms and Critical Factors Involved in the Pathogenesis of Leptospira.

Leptospirosis, a bacterial zoonosis caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp., is prevalent worldwide and has become a serious threat in recent years. Limited understanding of Leptospira pathogenesis and host response has hampered the development of effective vaccine and diagnostics. Although Leptospira is phagocytosed by innate immune cells, it resists its destruction, and the evading mechanism involved is unclear. In the present study, we used an integrative multi-omics approach to identify the critical molecular factors of Leptospira involved in pathogenesis during interaction with human macrophages. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were performed at 24 h postinfection of human macrophages (phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate differentiated THP-1 cells) with the pathogenic Leptospira interrogans serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae strain RGA (LEPIRGA). Our results identified a total of 1,528 transcripts and 871 proteins that were significantly expressed with an adjusted P value of <0.05. The correlations between the transcriptomic and proteomic data were above average (r = 0.844), suggesting the role of the posttranscriptional processes during host interaction. The conjoint analysis revealed the expression of several virulence-associated proteins such as adhesins, invasins, and secretory and chemotaxis proteins that might be involved in various processes of attachment and invasion and as effectors during pathogenesis in the host. Further, the interaction of bacteria with the host cell (macrophages) was a major factor in the differential expression of these proteins. Finally, eight common differentially expressed RNA-protein pairs, predicted as virulent, outer membrane/extracellular proteins were validated by quantitative PCR. This is the first report using integrated multi-omics approach to identify critical factors involved in Leptospira pathogenesis. Validation of these critical factors may lead to the identification of target antigens for the development of improved diagnostics and vaccines against leptospirosis. IMPORTANCE Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of global importance. It is caused by a Gram-negative bacterial spirochete of the genus Leptospira. The current challenge is to detect the infection at early stage for treatment or to develop potent vaccines that can induce cross-protection against various pathogenic serovars. Understanding host-pathogen interactions is important to identify the critical factors involved in pathogenesis and host defense for developing improved vaccines and diagnostics. Utilizing an integrated multi-omics approach, our study provides important insight into the interaction of Leptospira with human macrophages and identifies a few critical factors (such as virulence-associated proteins) involved in pathogenesis. These factors can be exploited for the development of novel tools for the detection, treatment, or prevention of leptospirosis.

Multinational municipal waste collectors and leptospirosis prevention: Assessment of knowledge, attitudes, practices and the associated factors

BackgroundLeptospirosis is a neglected zoonotic disease and often under-reported. Municipal waste collectors, engaging mainly migrant labour are at risk to leptospirosis due to their nature of work. The present study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of the multinational municipal waste collectors towards prevention of leptospirosis, and further identify factors associated with the KAP. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using face-to-face interview among 184 municipal waste collectors. They completed a questionnaire on sociodemographics and KAP towards leptospirosis. Multiple linear regression was performed to determine factors associated with KAP towards the leptospira infection. ResultsThe majority of participants were Bangladeshi (75.0%) and Indonesian nationals (20.7%), with poor knowledge of leptospirosis (92.93%). The attitudes towards leptospirosis were moderate (59.78%) while preventive practices were good (74.46%). Indonesians had significantly better knowledge as compared to other nationals (p < 0.001) but had poor practices (p = 0.021). Workers with upper secondary school education had better attitudes (p = 0.026) and preventive practices scores (p = 0.045). Individual monthly income had inverse association with attitudes scores (p = 0.036). ConclusionsOverall, the preventice practices among municipal waste workers was good due to relatively ethical work behaviours. However, they had poor knowledge on the cause, modes of transmission, symptoms and treatment of leptospirosis. The study suggests that targeted education to increase knowledge and systematic preventive measures to reduce contact with the infection are necessary for this occupation group.

Paddy Field Area and Geographical Condition on Leptospirosis Risk Factors in Bantul Regency, Indonesia

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease which is transmitted through rat urine and associated with standing water. This study aims to identify the geographical risk factors of leptospirosis in Bantul Regency. This research using cross sectional design with variables of paddy field area, altitude, distance to shoreline, and distance to capital. The unit analysis is sub-district, using data in 2010-2020. Leptospirosis data obtained from Health Office. Data on altitude, distance to capital, and paddy fields area were obtained from the Statistics Agency. Shoreline distance obtained by using GIS processing. Leptospirosis during 2010–2020 were 969 cases. Spearman rank test showed that only distance to capital showed a negative correlation with leptospirosis (p 0.000; r -0.543). Altitude (p 0.153; r -0.05), paddy field area (p 0.338; r 0.248) and distance to shoreline (p 0.143; r 0.208) did not correlate with leptospirosis. This indicate that leptospirosis in Bantul Regency is not a rural disease and not related to paddy fields area. This provides information that prevention of leptospirosis should pay more attention to urban areas. Further research is needed to reveal the species of rat as vector, so that it can be studied in relation to control leptospirosis in Bantul Regency.

Epidemiology of Human Leptospirosis in Bantul District, Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia

Bantul District has the highest number of leptospirosis cases in Yogyakarta Province. Transmission of leptospirosis occurs primarily through exposure to water and soil contaminated with the urine of infected animals. This study aims to describe the epidemiological characteristics of leptospirosis in Bantul District, Yogyakarta. This is cross-sectional research. Leptospirosis cases were collected from active and passive detections. Selected positive cases underwent home visits for interviews about epidemiological data. Rat surveys were carried out to find out the existing rat species and successful traps in the study area. The most leptospirosis cases were found at Kasihan public health center. There were 74 suspect cases, 4 probable cases, and 15 cases positively confirmed. The cases increased from January to April and from November - December. Cases in males were more related to his work as a farmer. Fever, headache and muscle aches are the most common symptoms felt by leptospirosis sufferers. The most caught rats was Rattus tanezumi. Leptospirosis epidemiological information can be used as a basis or reference for Bantul District Health Office in prevention and control of leptospirosis in priority areas

Pathogenic Leptospira Infections in Hubei Province, Central China.

Leptospirosis is an important zoonosis that is caused by pathogenic Leptospira, which is considered to be a re-emerging infectious disease in many countries. Rodents are the most important reservoirs for both human and animal infection. An epidemiological survey of pathogenic Leptospira in rodents is important for the prevention and control of leptospirosis. In this study, a total of 964 rodents were captured from six cities in Hubei Province, and two pathogenic Leptospira species (L. interrogans and L. borgpetersenii) were detected using nested PCR with an overall prevalence of 4.8%. L. interrogans was distributed in five sampling sites, which may be the dominant species of pathogenic Leptospira in Hubei Province. In addition, Rattus norvegicus showed a relatively high infection rate, which may play an important role in the transmission and infection of pathogenic Leptospira. This study reveals the prevalence of pathogenic Leptospira in wild rodents in Hubei Province, suggesting that the risk of leptospirosis infection in Hubei Province still exists.

Leptospirosis in Vietnam

Leptospirosis poses a serious public health problem in many countries because about 1 million people suffer annually from this severe, often fatal, infection. At present, its importance has been increasing due to development of integration processes, globalization and intensification of economic activities, inevitable anthropogenic transformation of landscapes as well as rise in number of people with occupational risk of pathogen exposure. The burden of human leptospirosis is expected to rise with demographic shifts and climate change that result in heavy rainfall and flooding. Regarding leptospirosis, Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, is among the most vulnerable global regions. The objective of the review was to analyze available published data on the spread of leptospirosis in Vietnam. More than 100 research articles were analyzed allowing to state that in Vietnam synanthropic rodents (rats), agricultural (buffaloes, cattle, pigs) and domestic animals (cats, dogs) are the main sources of leptospirosis infection in humans. It is essential that rats (cats and dogs also) in Vietnam are used for food. Among all farm animals, pigs are of maximal importance as a source of infection in humans. In Vietnam, Leptospira prevalence in pigs varies widely, up to 73%. It depends significantly on the location, farm size, age and gender of animals, etc. A large variety of Leptospira serovars have been identified in pigs in Vietnam: Tarassovi, Bratislava, Australis, Javanica, Autumnalis, Grippotyphosa, and some others. Official Vietnam reporting of leptospirosis cases based on clinical data does not reflect the real-life incidence rate in humans. However, the available seroprevalence studies reveal that, on average, about 10% of the Vietnamese population are infected with Leptospira. Work in agriculture is the dominant risk factor for acquiring this infection. The highest Leptospira seroprevalence rates were detected in farmers, 63.2%. Serovar diversity is typical for pathogenic Leptospira circulating in Vietnam. In humans, the most frequent are antibodies to Hebdomadis, Wolffi and Icterohaemorrhagiae, but the frequency varied markedly across the country depending on the site, possibly with relation to the environment, as well as with economic activity of the local population. In Vietnam, geographic, climatic and social differences between northern, central and southern regions contribute to the specificity of local leptospirosis epidemiology. This emphasizes the advisability of developing special measures for leptospirosis prevention taking into account regional peculiarities.

Comparison of the PF07598-Encoded Virulence-Modifying Proteins of L. interrogans and L. borgpetersenii.

Leptospirosis is an emerging infectious disease, with increasing frequency and severity of outbreaks, a changing epidemiology of populations at risk, and the emergence of new strains, serovars, serogroups, and species. Virulence-modifying (VM) proteins encoded by the PF07598 gene family are hypothesized to be Leptospira-secreted exotoxins that mediate the molecular and cellular pathogenesis of severe and fatal leptospirosis. If confirmed experimentally, this concept could revolutionize the treatment, diagnosis, prognosis, and vaccine-mediated prevention of leptospirosis by enabling a novel array of targeted interventions. VM proteins, as with other bacterial-secreted protein exotoxins, mediate their virulence effects by attaching to eukaryotic cells, competing with other microorganisms for limited resources in environmental niches, directly intoxicating target cells, and disrupting their function in the mammalian host. In contrast with the most pathogenic group of Lept ospira, particularly L. interrogans, whose genomes contain 12-15 PF07598 paralogs, strains of the livestock and human pathogen L. borgpetersenii have two PF07598 paralogs. Given the possible non-environmentally mediated transmission of some L. borgpetersenii strains and the much smaller number of VM proteins in this species, their role in infection and disease may well differ from other leptospiral species. Comparison of VM proteins from different clades of pathogenic Leptospira may deepen our understanding of leptospirosis's pathogenesis, leading to novel approaches to ameliorating Leptospira infection in humans and animals.

Structural and biochemical characterization of Leptospira interrogans Lsa45 reveals a penicillin-binding protein with esterase activity

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals and is caused by Leptospira. The recommended treatment for leptospirosis is antibiotic therapy, which should be given early in the course of the disease. Despite the use of these antibiotics, their role during the course of the disease is still not completely clear because of the lack of effective clinical trials, particularly for severe cases of the disease. Here, we present the characterization of L. interrogans Lsa45 protein by gel filtration, protein crystallography, SAXS, fluorescence and enzymatic assays. The oligomeric studies revealed that Lsa45 is monomeric in solution. The crystal structure of Lsa45 revealed the presence of two subdomains: a large α/β subdomain and a small α-helical subdomain. The large subdomain contains the amino acids Ser122, Lys125, and Tyr217, which correspond to the catalytic triad that is essential for β-lactamase or serine hydrolase activity in similar enzymes. Additionally, we also confirmed the bifunctional promiscuity of Lsa45, in hydrolyzing both the 4-nitrophenyl acetate (p-NPA) and nitrocefin β-lactam antibiotic. Therefore, this study provides novel insights into the structure and function of enzymes from L. interrogans, which furthers our understanding of this bacterium and the development of new therapies for the prevention and treatment of leptospirosis.

Characteristics of Leptospirosis Cases in Pacitan District, East Java Province

Leptospirosis is a disease that is still a public health problem in the world, however, these cases are rarely reported due to the difficulty of distinguishing clinical symptoms from other endemic diseases and the lack of appropriate laboratory diagnostic services. Pacitan district is one of the districts in East Java that reported Leptospirosis cases for 3 consecutive years from 2017 to 2019. There were total 92 Leptospirosis cases with Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 15.22% in Pacitan. This study is a descriptive study with a Cross Sectional design that aims to describe the distribution of characteristics of Leptospirosis cases in Pacitan district based on person, place, and time. This study used secondary data from the Pacitan district Health Office, East Java province. The population in this study was all cases with Leptospirosis cases as many as 92 cases recorded in the Pacitan district Health Office data for 2017–2019. The sample of this study were all cases with Leptospirosis as many as 92 cases.The results of the study obtained Leptospirosis cases in Pacitan district in 2017–2019 based on person occured most in the age group of 40–49 years old by 20.45%, in the male sex by 68.48%, and in the population who worked as farmers by 73.58%. Based on the place where the most occured in Tulakan sub district by 52.75%, while based on time, most occured in February, March and April, this is because February to April is the rainy season. Therefore, based on the results of the study, it is necessary to educate the public, especially at risk groups, about the risk factors and Prevention of Leptospirosis.