Abstract

BARRERA CEPEDA, Diana Lorena; TORRES MARTINEZ, Dayana Sofía  and  ORJUELA VARGAS, Liliana. Risk Factors for Leptospirosis and Its Diagnostic Methods. Rev. Med [online]. 2022, vol.30, n.2, pp.77-89.  Epub Nov 10, 2023. ISSN 0121-5256.  https://doi.org/10.18359/rmed.6068.

Leptospirosis is a disease transmitted from animals to humans, caused by pathogenic species of Leptospira spp. This microorganism can survive in the environment for several weeks in both water and soil. The main reservoirs include rodents, dogs, pigs, and cattle. Outbreaks are common in tropical and subtropical countries. The initial objective is to identify the risk factors for leptospirosis and the diagnostic methods through a narrative review. A literature search was conducted for articles in Spanish and English, using databases such as Google Scholar, Lilacs, Redalyc, Medigraphic, Scielo, ProQuest, Publimed, and ScienceDirect, from 2016 to 2021. Keywords used included leptospirosis, risk factors, diagnosis, epidemiology, and zoonosis. Based on the narrative review of 50 consulted articles, it was determined that workers most predisposed to leptospirosis are farmers, slaughterhouse workers, fishery workers, garbage collectors, veterinary assistants, farm milkers, and livestock industry workers. Determining factors included inappropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE), lack of knowledge about the disease, consumption of contaminated water, and eating in slaughterhouses, among others. One of the conclusions drawn is the consistency among the different articles consulted regarding infection, which occurs more frequently in men than in women due to their various practices. It was also evident that rural areas have limited medical attention, leading to a high transmission rate of leptospirosis.

Keywords : leptospirosis; risk factors; agriculture; mice.

        · abstract in Spanish | Portuguese     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )