Displaying publications 61 - 80 of 181 in total

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  1. Leung V, Luong ML, Libman M
    CMAJ, 2011 Apr 19;183(7):E423-7.
    PMID: 21262944 DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.092203
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/complications*; Leptospirosis/diagnosis
  2. Lim VK
    Malays J Pathol, 2011 Jun;33(1):1-5.
    PMID: 21874744 MyJurnal
    Leptospirosis is a re-emerging zoonotic infection. In developing countries large outbreaks have occurred in urban slums and following floods. Individuals from developed nations are also now more frequently exposed to the infection as a result of international travel and greater participation in certain outdoor recreational activities. Leptospirosis remains a diagnostic challenge since it often presents as a non-specific febrile event and laboratory diagnosis is still currently inadequate. Rapid tests may not be sufficiently sensitive in early disease and culture facilities are not widely available. A severe pulmonary haemorrhagic form of the infection is increasingly being encountered in many countries including Malaysia. The control of leptospirosis is largely dependent on general hygienic measures and rodent control. An effective human vaccine is still not available. There remains much that is unknown about this disease and there is scope and opportunity for good quality research.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/diagnosis; Leptospirosis/epidemiology*; Leptospirosis/therapy*
  3. Priya SP, Sakinah S, Sharmilah K, Hamat RA, Sekawi Z, Higuchi A, et al.
    Acta Trop, 2017 Dec;176:206-223.
    PMID: 28823908 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.08.007
    Immuno-pathogenesis of leptospirosis can be recounted well by following its trail path from entry to exit, while inducing disastrous damages in various tissues of the host. Dysregulated, inappropriate and excessive immune responses are unanimously blamed in fatal leptospirosis. The inherent abilities of the pathogen and inabilities of the host were debated targeting the severity of the disease. Hemorrhagic manifestation through various mechanisms leading to a fatal end is observed when this disease is unattended. The similar vascular destructions and hemorrhage manifestations are noted in infections with different microbes in endemic areas. The simultaneous infection in a host with more than one pathogen or parasite is referred as the coinfection. Notably, common endemic infections such as leptospirosis, dengue, chikungunya, and malaria, harbor favorable environments to flourish in similar climates, which is aggregated with stagnated water and aggravated with the poor personal and environmental hygiene of the inhabitants. These factors aid the spread of pathogens and parasites to humans and potential vectors, eventually leading to outbreaks of public health relevance. Malaria, dengue and chikungunya need mosquitoes as vectors, in contrast with leptospirosis, which directly invades human, although the environmental bacterial load is maintained through other mammals, such as rodents. The more complicating issue is that infections by different pathogens exhibiting similar symptoms but require different treatment management. The current review explores different pathogens expressing specific surface proteins and their ability to bind with array of host proteins with or without immune response to enter into the host tissues and their ability to evade the host immune responses to invade and their affinity to certain tissues leading to the common squeal of hemorrhage. Furthermore, at the host level, the increased susceptibility and inability of the host to arrest the pathogens' and parasites' spread in different tissues, various cytokines accumulated to eradicate the microorganisms and their cellular interactions, the antibody dependent defense and the susceptibility of individual organs bringing the manifestation of the diseases were explored. Lastly, we provided a discussion on the immune trail path of pathogenesis from entry to exit to narrate the similarities and dissimilarities among various hemorrhagic fevers mentioned above, in order to outline future possibilities of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of coinfections, with special reference to endemic areas.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/immunology; Leptospirosis/epidemiology*; Leptospirosis/transmission
  4. Soo ZMP, Khan NA, Siddiqui R
    Acta Trop, 2020 Jan;201:105183.
    PMID: 31542372 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.105183
    Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the pathogenic helical spirochetes, Leptospira. Symptoms include sudden-onset fever, severe headaches, muscle pain, nausea and chills. Leptospirosis is endemic in developing countries such as Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, and Brazil where thousands of cases are reported annually. The disease risk factors include the high population of reservoirs, environmental factors, recreational factors, and occupational factors. To end the endemicity of leptospirosis, these factors need to be tackled. The management of leptospirosis needs to be refined. Early diagnosis remains a challenge due to a lack of clinical suspicion among physicians, its non-specific symptoms and a limited availability of rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests. The purpose of this review is to provide insight into the status of leptospirosis in developing countries focusing on the risk factors and to propose methods for the improved management of the disease.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/epidemiology*; Leptospirosis/prevention & control
  5. Mohd-Taib FS, Ishak SN, Yusof MA, Azhari NN, Md-Lasim A, Md Nor S, et al.
    Trop Biomed, 2020 Mar 01;37(1):142-154.
    PMID: 33612725
    Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira and most often acquired through contact with environments contaminated with leptospires shed in the urine of infected mammals. In urban environment, rodents are well-known as the main carriers of this bacteria, however there were no intensive study on the population structure of these animals, and how it associated with this disease. Hence, we use a case study from an outbreak in a residential area in Selangor, Malaysia, to investigate how community structure of small mammals, associated with the prevalence of Leptospira. One hundred cage traps were placed randomly in and around these houses in five phases with two months interval for a year. Community structures (species, sex, and age) were assigned for each individual, prior to screening for pathogenic Leptospira, using a partial lipL32 gene from the kidney samples. 185 small mammals from four species were captured, Rattus norvegicus (74.5%, N=138), R. rattus (20%, N=37), Tupaia glis (5%, N=9), and Suncus murinus (0.5%, N=1). From this number, 29 individuals were found PCR positive for pathogenic Leptospira (R. norvegicus, N=20; R. rattus, N=6; T. glis, N=2; S. murinus, N=1). The study shows that Leptospira occurrence in the small mammals were significantly correlated to age category and sampling phases, with Spearman Correlation (rs) p=0.02 and p=0.04 respectively. Adult individuals were significantly more prevalent with Leptospira infection, whereby March and June were found to associate with higher Leptospira prevalent among the small mammals, potentially coincide with low rainfall and relative humidity level. This information is important in designing a specific control method for rodents in Leptospira outbreak areas. In addition, intensive sampling and regular cleaning effort were found to significantly reduce the small mammal Leptospira reservoir, thus should be implemented in intervention strategies in the urban environment.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/epidemiology; Leptospirosis/veterinary*
  6. Amirudin, S., Ismail, M.S.
    Medicine & Health, 2020;15(2):290-296.
    MyJurnal
    Leptospirosis adalah salah satu penyakit yang endemik di Malaysia. Ia mempunyai pelbagai manifestasi klinikal bermula daripada yang ringan sehingga yang boleh membawa maut. Kami melaporkan sebuah kes tentang seorang lelaki berumur 56 tahun dengan pelbagai masalah kesihatan terdahulu, dengan sejarah tidak sihat kerana demam, batuk dan sakit perut selama dua hari. Pesakit datang ke Jabatan Kecemasan dalam keadaan tidak sedarkan diri dengan Pulseless Electrical Activity (PEA) cardiac arrest. Pesakit telah diresusitasi dan berjaya dipulihkan dengan mencapai peredaran darah spontan (return of spontaneous circulation) tidak berapa lama selepas itu. Keadaan pesakit dirumitkan lagi dengan keadaan Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic State (HHS), oliguric acute kidney injury, dan non- ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Pesakit kemudian dimasukkan ke unit rawatan rapi dan dirawat dengan IV Ceftriaxone 2 g sekali sehari selama empat hari, dan kemudian ditukar kepada IV Ceftazidime 2 g dua kali sehari untuk seminggu disebabkan ventilator acquired pneumonia (VAP). Keadaan pesakit bertambah baik dan akhirnya di benarkan pulang ke rumah pada hari yang ke 18.

    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis
  7. Daud A, Fuzi NMHM, Arshad MM, Kamarudin S, Mohammad WMZW, Amran F, et al.
    Vet World, 2018 Jun;11(6):840-844.
    PMID: 30034179 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2018.840-844
    Background: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that infects human and livestock which causes economic losses to the farmers. It has been reported as one of the causes of reproductive failure in cattle and other ruminants, determining abortions, stillbirth, weak newborns, and decrease in their growth rate and milk production.

    Aim: The objectives of this study were to determine the leptospirosis seroprevalence and to identify the predominant infecting serovars among cattle.

    Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 420 cattle from six randomly selected districts in Kelantan was conducted. A serological test using the microscopic agglutination test was conducted in the Institute of Medical Research with a cutoff titer for seropositivity of ≥1:100.

    Results: The overall prevalence of leptospirosis seropositivity among cattle in this study was 81.7% (95% confidence interval: 63.5, 80.1). The most common reaction obtained with the sera tested was from the serovar Sarawak with 78.8%.

    Conclusion: A high seroprevalence of leptospiral antibodies was found among cattle in Northeastern Malaysia. These findings urge that more studies are required to determine the reasons for the high seroprevalence among the cattle along with its transmission and pathogenicity of the local serovar Sarawak.

    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis
  8. Supramaniam V
    Malays J Pathol, 1979 Aug;2:11-4.
    PMID: 263417
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/epidemiology*; Leptospirosis/prevention & control
  9. Tan DS
    Med J Malaya, 1970 Jun;24(4):261-6.
    PMID: 4248346
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/immunology; Leptospirosis/epidemiology*
  10. Tan DSK
    Family Practitioner, 1982;5:29-31.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis
  11. Rahimi R, Omar E, Tuan Soh TS, Mohd Nawi SFA, Md Noor S
    Malays J Pathol, 2018 Aug;40(2):169-173.
    PMID: 30173235 MyJurnal
    INTRODUCTION: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by spirochaete of the genus Leptospira. Human infection occurs after exposure to water or soil contaminated by urine from an infected animal. Most patients manifest as self-limited systemic illness. However 10% of patients manifest as severe disease associated with high fatality. The disease affects mostly men, cases involving pregnant women are uncommon. We presented a case of leptospirosis in a pregnant woman leading to mortality of both mother and foetus.

    CASE REPORT: A 28-year-old woman at 18 weeks of gestation, had shortness of breath and collapsed. She was brought unconscious to the emergency department and died shortly after arrival. A week prior to this, she had presented to the same hospital with pain on both thighs. Examination of the patient and ultrasound of the foetus revealed normal findings. Post mortem examination revealed hepatosplenomegaly and congested lungs; no jaundice, meningeal inflammation or cardiac abnormalities was evident. Histopathology examination of the lungs revealed pulmonary haemorrhages and oedema. Multiple infarcts were seen in the spleen and the kidneys showed foci of acute tubular necrosis. Laboratory investigations revealed Leptospira IgM antibody and PCR for leptospira were positive. This case illustrates the subtleness of clinical presentation of leptospirosis. The diagnosis was obscure even at post-mortem and was only suspected following histopathological examination, leading to further investigations.

    CONCLUSION: Leptospirosis may have a subtle presentation and a high index of suspicion for this infection is required for early identification of the disease.

    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/complications*; Leptospirosis/diagnosis*; Leptospirosis/pathology*
  12. Vk C, Ty L, Wf L, Ywy WS, An S, S Z, et al.
    Microbiol Res, 2018 Mar;207:108-115.
    PMID: 29458845 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2017.11.015
    Leptospirosis remains one of the most widespread zoonotic diseases caused by spirochetes of the genus Leptospira, which accounts for high morbidity and mortality globally. Leptospiral infections are often found in tropical and subtropical regions, with people exposed to contaminated environments or animal reservoirs are at high risk of getting the infection. Leptospirosis has a wide range of clinical manifestations with non-specific signs and symptoms and often misdiagnosed with other acute febrile illnesses at early stage of infection. Despite being one of the leading causes of zoonotic morbidity worldwide, there is still a gap between pathogenesis and human immune responses during leptospiral infection. It still remains obscure whether the severity of the infection is caused by the pathogenic properties of the Leptospira itself, or it is a consequence of imbalance host immune factors. Hence, in this review, we seek to summarize the past and present milestone findings on the biomarkers of host immune response aspects during human leptospiral infection, including cytokine and other immune mediators. A profound understanding of the interlink between virulence factors and host immune responses during human leptospirosis is imperative to identify potential biomarkers for diagnostic and prognostic applications as well as designing novel immunotherapeutic strategies in future.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/immunology*; Leptospirosis/microbiology; Leptospirosis/pathology*
  13. Joseph PG
    Malays J Pathol, 1979 Aug;2:15-21.
    PMID: 263418
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/epidemiology; Leptospirosis/veterinary*
  14. Mortimer RB
    Wilderness Environ Med, 2005;16(3):129-31.
    PMID: 16209467
    This article describes a case of leptospirosis in a man who returned from caving in Sarawak, Malaysia, and includes a discussion of epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. The patient presented with symptoms of leptospirosis, which was confirmed by microhemagglutination titers. He became infected despite taking doxycycline daily for malaria prophylaxis. Leptospirosis is an important consideration in any returned traveler with fever. The spirochete spreads from animals to humans via water. Caving in tropical endemic zones may increase exposure risk due to the combination of multiple skin abrasions with immersions. Water in caves may increase infection risk because of increased water pH. Standard prophylaxis may be inadequate in cases of high-risk exposures.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/complications; Leptospirosis/diagnosis*; Leptospirosis/etiology; Leptospirosis/pathology
  15. Tan DS
    Malays J Pathol, 1979 Aug;2:1-6.
    PMID: 263416
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/diagnosis; Leptospirosis/epidemiology*
  16. Brown GW, Lee CK, Huxsoll DL, Ng TS, Lim KJ, Wan HS, et al.
    PMID: 1030842
    A study of 1,437 unselected febrile patients in rural Malaysia yielded a diagnosis of leptospirosis in 86 (6.0%). The clinical syndrome was mild to moderate in all cases, jaundice was observed in only 2 (2.3%) and no deaths were documented. The diagnosis was not clinically obvious in most cases, and it is apparent that many infections must be going unnoticed at present.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/complications*; Leptospirosis/diagnosis
  17. Baker HJ
    Mil Med, 1965 Nov;130(11):1101-2.
    PMID: 4953542
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/epidemiology*
  18. ALEXANDER AD, EVANS LB, TOUSSAINT AJ, MARCHWICKI RH, McCRUMB FR
    Am J Trop Med Hyg, 1957 Sep;6(5):871-89.
    PMID: 13470208
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/immunology*
  19. MCCRUMB FR, STOCKARD JL, ROBINSON CR, TURNER LH, LEVIS DG, MAISEY CW, et al.
    Am J Trop Med Hyg, 1957 Mar;6(2):238-56.
    PMID: 13424900
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/epidemiology*
  20. Sejvar J, Bancroft E, Winthrop K, Bettinger J, Bajani M, Bragg S, et al.
    Emerg Infect Dis, 2003 Jun;9(6):702-7.
    PMID: 12781010
    Adventure travel is becoming more popular, increasing the likelihood of contact with unusual pathogens. We investigated an outbreak of leptospirosis in "Eco-Challenge" multisport race athletes to determine illness etiology and implement public health measures. Of 304 athletes, we contacted 189 (62%) from the United States and 26 other countries. Eighty (42%) athletes met our case definition. Twenty-nine (36%) case-patients were hospitalized; none died. Logistic regression showed swimming in the Segama River (relative risk [RR]=2.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.3 to 3.1) to be an independent risk factor. Twenty-six (68%) of 38 case-patients tested positive for leptospiral antibodies. Taking doxycycline before or during the race was protective (RR=0.4, 95% CI=0.2 to 1.2) for the 20 athletes who reported using it. Increased adventure travel may lead to more frequent exposure to leptospires, and preexposure chemoprophylaxis for leptospirosis (200 mg oral doxycycline/week) may decrease illness risk. Efforts are needed to inform adventure travel participants of unique infections such as leptospirosis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospirosis/diagnosis; Leptospirosis/epidemiology*
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