Studies on the Source of Leptospirosis Infection

1. Cases of Direct Contact Infection with Leptospira Canicola

Abstract

Six cases of sporadic Leptospira canicola infection were discovered by means of serological tests between 1954-1955 in Yamaguchi prefecture.
These patients were all farmers, and had high fever, headache and myalgia as the common manifestations, but no jaundice. They all suffered from iridocyclitis within 20 days -11 months after the onset of disease, which led them to the ophthalmologist. The definite diagnosis was then settled serologically.
In 2 cases the contaminated urine from infected dogs was incriminated as the cause of contact infection. These dogs with latent infection were suffering from nephritis, and from one of them a strain of Leptospira canicola was isolated. Their sera showed antibody titer 1: 10, 000 for L. canicola and 1: 1, 000 for L. icterohemorrhagica by agglutination-lysis reaction. Only these patients out of their family members took care of the dogs, i. e.: feeding and washing the animals and cleaning the kennels. No Leptospira was detected from the other members.