Use Protective Clothing When Dealing With Animals To Keep Leptospirosis At Bay: Dr Sulaiman Ladhani

What is leptospirosis? What causes the infection?

Leptospirosis is an infection which is caused by a bacteria known as leptospira and it can infect both humans and animals like dogs. The disease is mainly spread by the exposure of the urine of an infected animal. And it can occur in humans as a result of contact with the urine or contaminated soil or water of infected animals. Leptospirosis can cause mild flu-like symptoms or no symptoms, but it can also lead to serious complications such as meningitis, liver and kidney failure, or respiratory problems. 

Basically, there are two phases of leptospirosis. The first phase is like a mild flu-like illness, which accounts for 90 per cent of the cases. The person may recover and feel better, but again, they fall sick in the second phase. It is a form of jaundice, which is also known as Vale's disease, and it is more severe and can lead to complications. This type of leptospirosis can last for several weeks, and it is less common. 

How to differentiate between the symptoms of leptospirosis, dengue, and COVID-19?

The common symptoms that are seen in leptospirosis are fever, coughing, headache, or muscle pain, especially back and calf rash on the body, diarrhea, vomiting, with chills, stomach discomfort, and red eyes. If there are complications, then we may also find jaundice. There may be kidney or liver failure, breathing difficulties or respiratory problems, myocarditis (heart affection), and meningitis. And it usually takes one to two weeks for the patient to show symptoms, but it can take up to a month. 

It is primarily transmitted through the contact of infected animals' urine, and if not treated promptly, it can be fatal. 

Dengue is a viral infection that is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito, and the virus responsible for causing it is called the dengue virus. The signs and symptoms of dengue fever are high grade fever, headaches, pain in the joints behind the eyes, muscles and bone rash on the body, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal discomfort. And if things start getting severe, then you may get rashes on the skin, bleeding from the nose or gums, and bruise easily. 

So it's very, very important to keep that in mind. If there are these symptoms, you should immediately get your blood test done. And if it may show a decrease in counts and platelets, immediately a doctor should be consulted for the same. 

Covid 19 symptoms, basically, as we know, it is a viral infection, and the symptoms here are quite different from dengue and leptospirosis here it is more of flu like illnesses where you get a high grade fever, which is persistent for a couple of days, with running nose headache. And if it gets worse, the oxygen may start falling, you may get breathing difficulties and extra pulmonary symptoms like body aches, stomach discomfort, and other organs are rarely affected, but mainly the symptoms are flu-like with severe body aches and fever and running nose and cough, mainly in the upper respiratory tract. 

And if there are complications, then you may have pneumonia and breathing difficulties with reduced oxygenation in the blood. And if not treated promptly, it can lead to severe complications, particularly in vulnerable groups, as well as significant morbidity and mortality. 

What are the various precautions to ensure safety from leptospirosis?  

The best thing is a simple remedy, such as rest, hydration, and symptomatic treatment, and antibiotics that are effective, like penicillin and doxycycline, are helpful and should be taken under medical supervision. If there are severe illnesses, then hospital admission may be necessary and if there are complications, 

Then other critical treatment may be required. Diagnosis is based on clinical history and by blood tests, advice by a doctor, and liver and kidney tests to check for any complications. The best way to avoid contracting leptospirosis is to avoid swimming in fresh waters such as rivers or streams that may contain animal urine, as well as touching or swimming in floodwater or wading in floodwater. Water should be boiled before consuming it. Rodents and mice should be kept under control. Please wear protective clothing or shoes when handling contaminated water or soil. And if anybody works with animals, protective clothing and shoes should be a must. This can also affect the animal. So, if you have any pets, such as dogs, please make sure they don't have any symptoms by touching them during the dry season, keeping them away from bodies of water or places where people can touch or come into contact with them, and washing your hands after touching your pig. 

Should people with pets, especially dogs, beware of being infected with leptospirosis?

As we know, leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease. It means it can be transmitted to humans and animals also. And like humans, even animals are at increasing risk, especially our pets and dogs. So basically, they can either be infected and not yet show symptoms, or they may have complications and serious illnesses. 

Basically, dogs typically contract leptospirosis through direct contact with the urine of an infected animal and open wounds or sores on the skin can increase the chances as it borrows through the skin to affect the dog. 

If they become infected, they may experience mild or no symptoms; however, if the disease is severe, they may experience fever, sore muscles, reluctance to move due to stiffness in muscles, joints, and joints; shivering weakness; lack of appetite; increased thirst and urination; rapid dehydration; and vomiting and diarrhea. And they may have dark gums and yellowish skin may be present with swelling of the mucus membrane. 

If suspected, they should immediately be taken to a veterinarian who may perform a blood profile to confirm the diagnosis and immediate treatment with fluids. And, as per need for dehydration, can be given under the supervision of the veterinarian, and appropriate antibiotics will be prescribed by the veterinarian depending upon the stage of the infection. So home care is very, very important. People should try and protect themselves and their families from leptospirosis. Ideally, when the dog is being treated, it should be kept away from other pets and children. When handling the dog in any way, or handling the food or waste products from the dog, areas where the dog has urinated or vomited should be cleaned and disinfected thoroughly, and wear gloves and masks whenever handling them or during the cleaning process, and ensure that they are disposed of properly. 

One should try and talk to the veterinarian to see if the leptospirosis vaccine for the dog is appropriate and if recommended, should be given to them.