About this Research Topic
Globally, leptospirosis is an important cause of livestock productivity loss and human disease, accounting for an estimated 1 million human cases annually, with the greatest burden of disease falling on resource-deprived populations. Occupational or recreational contact with water and extreme weather events, such as flooding, are recognized as significant risk factors. However, undifferentiated symptoms lead to misdiagnosis and subsequent under-reporting in several regions. The genus is diverse with human, animal and environmental sampling having identified 64 named species and over 300 serovars, which makes diagnostic and detection efforts challenging. Pathogenic leptospires are maintained in reservoir hosts (animals), are shed in urine and can persist for long periods in moist environments (water, soil etc.) before causing acute disease in incidental hosts (humans). However, insight into leptospiral interactions at the water interface of animal-human ecosystems remain poorly understood, requiring an interdisciplinary approach to fully understand, highlighting the complex ecology and epidemiology of this important pathogen of humans and livestock.
A major barrier to identifying new approaches for leptospirosis control and management has been our limited understanding of the role water plays in acting as an interface or transmission pathway for leptospirosis transmission. Although there have been limited genomic, laboratory, and field studies addressing the role of water in facilitating leptospirosis survival, this research topic aims to utilize a One Health approach to generate new insights into the role that water may have in the ecology and epidemiology of this important disease of humans and livestock.
New insights into the role of water at the human-animal-environment interface are welcomed and further investigation into the survival and proliferation within these environments and impacts on human or animal health are highly encouraged.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
• Biodiversity and genetic characterization of Leptospira spp. in environmental samples
• The ecology and molecular epidemiology at the aquatic transmission interface
• Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms needed for environmental survival
• Characterization of the environmental factors influencing Leptospira spp. survival
• One Health Approach for the control, prevention and management of leptospirosis, including translation into policies and/or interventions
• Advancement of techniques for isolation of Leptospira from animal and environment sources
• Risk factors for exposure
This Research Topic welcomes submissions of Original Research, Brief reports, full and mini Reviews, as well as, Opinion pieces related to the field.
A major barrier to identifying new approaches for leptospirosis control and management has been our limited understanding of the role water plays in acting as an interface or transmission pathway for leptospirosis transmission. Although there have been limited genomic, laboratory, and field studies addressing the role of water in facilitating leptospirosis survival, this research topic aims to utilize a One Health approach to generate new insights into the role that water may have in the ecology and epidemiology of this important disease of humans and livestock.
New insights into the role of water at the human-animal-environment interface are welcomed and further investigation into the survival and proliferation within these environments and impacts on human or animal health are highly encouraged.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
• Biodiversity and genetic characterization of Leptospira spp. in environmental samples
• The ecology and molecular epidemiology at the aquatic transmission interface
• Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms needed for environmental survival
• Characterization of the environmental factors influencing Leptospira spp. survival
• One Health Approach for the control, prevention and management of leptospirosis, including translation into policies and/or interventions
• Advancement of techniques for isolation of Leptospira from animal and environment sources
• Risk factors for exposure
This Research Topic welcomes submissions of Original Research, Brief reports, full and mini Reviews, as well as, Opinion pieces related to the field.
Keywords: Leptospira, Eco-epidemiology, Reservoir host, Zoonosis, Microbiology, Veterinary
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
