Leptospirosis in Mesoamerica

This article aims to review the pertinent outbreaks in this region, in an effort to influence future public health campaigns targeted at eradication.Recent FindingsMesoamerica is a geographical and culture area of the western hemisphere which has a uniform subtropical and tropical climate that covers since the middle part of Mexico, from its high plains, to the southern forest, and jungles extending to Central America to what is now known as Costa Rica. Leptospirosis is an infectious disease present in the people and fauna of Mesoamerica since many centuries, and an emergent illness nowadays. It is caused by bacteria of the genreLeptospira, which affects humans and domestic and wilds animals, causing multiples outbreaks in different countries of this region. Leptospirosis occurs in tropical and tempered regions and its incidence rise tenfold during the rainy season.SummaryLeptospirosis, also known as Weil ’s disease, porker’s disease, rice field fever, or cane fields fever, names that reflect the relevance of affected people activities. There are reports describing alike illness outbreaks in ancient civilizations in Mesoamerica: cocoliztli (Nahuatl word for pest) epidemic outbreaks registered in ancient Mexico (New Spain) from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries in impoverished indigenous communities after the conquest, were described with characteristics of leptospirosis, with fever, jaundice, and neurologic disorders.
Source: Current Tropical Medicine Reports - Category: Tropical Medicine Source Type: research