Trends and advances in Leptospira, a bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Background: Leptospirosis is an acute zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic Leptospira, primarily transmitted to humans through contact with water or soil contaminated by the bacteria. It is globally distributed, with heightened prevalence in tropical regions. While prior studies have examined the pathophysiology, epidemiology, and risk factors of leptospirosis, few have explored trends and emerging topics in the field. This study applies bibliometric analysis to generate a visual knowledge map, identifying research hotspots and forecasting future trends in leptospirosis investigations.

Methods: Data were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC), encompassing all publications up to May 1, 2024. CiteSpace and VOSViewer software were used to analyze annual publication trends, as well as contributions from countries, institutions, journals, authors, references, and keywords, thereby pinpointing current research priorities and potential future directions.

Results: A total of 5,244 articles were included, sourced from 4,716 institutions, 955 journals, and 156 countries or regions. The United States led with 1,315 publications and had the most significant influence in the field. "PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases" published the highest number of articles (166), while "Infection and Immunity" garnered the most citations (6,591). Prominent research areas included restriction endonucleases, monoclonal antibodies, outer membrane proteins, water environments, detection methods, and antimicrobial agents. Research focus has shifted from early genomic and antigenic studies to investigations into outer membrane protein functions and environmental persistence, culminating in recent advances in molecular mechanisms and diagnostic technology development.

Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis provides a comprehensive snapshot of leptospirosis research, emphasizing collaborations and impact among authors, countries, institutions, and journals. It offers valuable insights into ongoing trends and serves as a reference for future collaboration and research opportunities in the field.

Keywords: Leptospira; Web of Science Core Collection; bibliometric analysis; research hotspots; trends.

Figure 1

Flow chart of bibliometric analysis for Leptospira related studies.

Figure 2

Number of Leptospira related articles published in Web of Science from 1967 to 2024. (A) Cumulative number of articles published; (B) annual number of articles published and article publication trends.

Figure 3

Visual maps created by VOSviewer. (A,B): countries/regions; (C,D): institutions; (E,F): authors; (G,H): co-cited authors; (I,J): journals; (K,L): co-cited journals. (A,C,E,G,I,K) Different color groups in the figure represent the cooperative relationship between various indicators. (B,D,F,H,J,L) Different color groups in the figure represent the time points at which various indicators are discovered.

Figure 4

(A) Dual-map overlay of journals. The left nodes represent the included literature; the right represent the references in the literature. The labels represent the discipline. The link represents the cited path. (B) The timeline view of reference clusters by using CiteSpace software.

Figure 5

(A,B) Visual maps of keywords generated by VOSviewer. (A) Different color groups in the figure represent the relationship between keywords. (B) Different color groups in the graph represent the time points at which each keyword appears. (C) The top 25 keywords with the strong citation bursts. (D,E) Visual maps of highly cited References and co-cited References generated by VOSviewer (Different color groups in the figure represent the relationship between highly cited References and co-cited References). (C) The top 25 References with the strong citation bursts.