Leptospirosis in the United Kingdom: a decade of experience from a large regional hospital
Issued Date
2025-11-01
Resource Type
ISSN
14778939
eISSN
18730442
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105020588932
Pubmed ID
41093044
Journal Title
Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
Volume
68
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease Vol.68 (2025)
Suggested Citation
Taylor A., Newton P.N., Elliott I. Leptospirosis in the United Kingdom: a decade of experience from a large regional hospital. Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease Vol.68 (2025). doi:10.1016/j.tmaid.2025.102920 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/112965
Title
Leptospirosis in the United Kingdom: a decade of experience from a large regional hospital
Author(s)
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Leptospirosis is one of the most common bacterial zoonoses worldwide, with a broad spectrum of illness from mild and self-resolving to multi-organ failure and death. There have been few reports of the epidemiology, clinical features and outcomes of the disease in the United Kingdom. We present experience of 29 patients with confirmed leptospirosis from 924 tested patients over a 10-year period at a large tertiary hospital in the UK. All patients reported a fever and eit travel overseas in the 6 weeks prior to illness, or documented exposure to water or animals in the UK. Acute kidney injury occurred in 18/29 (62 %), 6 patients (20 %) required admission to the intensive care unit and 1 died. There were no recorded acquired UK cases during winter when water temperatures are usually below 10 °C. Epidemiological awareness and documented exposure history may increase the proportion of positive tests and offer potential laboratory cost savings.