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. 2020 Feb;26(2):311-314.
doi: 10.3201/eid2602.190102.

Influence of Rainfall on Leptospira Infection and Disease in a Tropical Urban Setting, Brazil

Kathryn P Hacker, Gielson A Sacramento, Jaqueline S Cruz, Daiana de Oliveira, Nivison Nery Jr, Janet C Lindow, Mayara Carvalho, Jose Hagan, Peter J Diggle, Mike Begon, Mitermayer G Reis, Elsio A Wunder Jr, Albert I Ko, Federico Costa

Influence of Rainfall on Leptospira Infection and Disease in a Tropical Urban Setting, Brazil

Kathryn P Hacker et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 Feb.

Abstract

The incidence of hospitalized leptospirosis patients was positively associated with increased precipitation in Salvador, Brazil. However, Leptospira infection risk among a cohort of city residents was inversely associated with rainfall. These findings indicate that, although heavy rainfall may increase severe illness, Leptospira exposures can occur year-round.

Keywords: Brazil; Leptospira; bacteria; epidemiology; leptospirosis; public health; rainfall; seasonal infection; slum health; temporal dynamics; urban epidemiology; waterborne infections; zoonoses.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Temporal distributions of rainfall, cases of leptospirosis requiring hospitalization, and Leptospira infections in Salvador, Brazil, February 2013–March 2015. A) Cumulative monthly rainfall. B) Monthly citywide cases of leptospirosis requiring hospitalization, which were reported to the national surveillance system and stratified according to confirmed (black bar), probable (gray bars), and unconfirmed (white bars) case status. Vertical lines represent the dates the 5 serosurveys were performed during the 2-year study. C) Cumulative incidence of citywide cases of leptospirosis requiring hospitalization during 4 biannual follow-up periods for a community-based cohort. D) Cumulative incidence of Leptospira infection among a cohort of 861 residents of an urban slum community within Salvador during 4 biannual follow-up periods. Error bars in panels C and D indicate 95% CIs.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Correlation between cumulative monthly rainfall and monthly citywide cases of leptospirosis requiring hospitalization.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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