RESUMO
Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonotic disease caused by spirochaetes of the genus Leptospira that affects humans and a wide range of animals. The disease was first described by Adolf Weil in 1886, reported as an "acute infectious disease with fever and jaundice". Outbreaks of leptospirosis are usually caused by human exposure to water or soil contaminated with the urine of infected animals through broken skin especially mucosal surfaces. Direct contact with infected animals may also be significant [slaughterhouse workers, veterinary surgeons] or in certain occupations, e.g. workers in rice fields or those who swim in infected surface water or adventure sports in tropical regions. Patients may appear as asymptomatic, mildly ill or toxic. High fever, chills, myalgias particularly prominent in the paraspinal and calf muscles and intense headache are among the first flulike symptoms that may appear. Later in severe disease, jaundice, meningitis and renal failure can develop. Cardiovascular problems are also possible. Diagnoses procedures include testing serologically with a panel of different strains. It is also possible to culture the microorganism from blood, serum and fresh urine. Hygienic methods such as avoidance of direct and indirect human contact with animal urine are recommended as preventive measures. The main preventive measure for leptospirosis is to create awareness about the disease and its prevention. Treatment for leptospirosis is based on antibiotic therapy allied with supportive care. There are no clinical examples of drug resistance developing. This review article also presents survey and the disease burden in Giulan