leptospirosis

an acute infectious disease caused by BACTERIA of the genus Leptospira. The disease varies from the mild form of an influenza type of illness to the more serious cases involving FEVER , LIVER disease and therefore JAUNDICE , and possibly KIDNEY disease or MENINGITIS . In such cases there may be fatalities. The organism occurs in the urine of rats and dogs, and this renders workers on farms and at sewage works, etc, more susceptible, but it can be contracted by bathing or immersion in contaminated water (e.g. canals). ANTIBIOTICS can be given but are best administered at an early stage to be effective. One particular species L. icterohaemorrhagiae, which is transmitted by rats, is responsible for the most severe form of leptospirosis called Weil's disease.