or does it take long to become negative?
Posts: 188 | From Germany | Registered: Feb 2009
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
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- I'm sorry to hear of this upsetting news. However, it may work to your advantage if you also have lyme and if it's been hard to find a LLMD.
Hasn't your doctor suggested aggressive treatment?
Do you have a good LLMD who is educated in this?
It's another spirochete that does, indeed, need to be taken very seriously. You need an expert - and you'll need to research if it has other forms and can become chronic. The good news is that is it likely to be treated with more respect than lyme.
However, I must be reading it wrong, as the Wiki definition below indicates that treatment is just for one week ?! Wiki is just a place to begin - and, of course, you'd research elsewhere - but just one weeks' tx seems puzzling for such a potentially serious infection.
While it's normally contracted during swimming in streams or rivers (from the urine of animals that are infected) it's not necessarily a tick-borne infection (and not even sure if it can be but I would think that might be possible.), you might search ILADS' site to see of they mention this. There is search bar there so that should help.
. . . Humans become infected through contact with water, food, or soil containing urine from these infected animals. . . .
. . . Complications include meningitis, extreme fatigue, hearing loss, respiratory distress, azotemia, and renal interstitial tubular necrosis, which results in renal failure and often liver failure (the severe form of this disease is known as Weil's disease, though it is sometimes named Weil Syndrome[9]). Cardiovascular problems are also possible. . . .
[Treatment] . . . Leptospirosis treatment is a relatively complicated process comprising two main components: suppressing the causative agent and fighting possible complications. . . . .
. . . . Human therapeutic dosage of drugs is as follows: doxycycline 100 mg orally every 12 hours for 1 week or penicillin 1-1.5 MU every 4 hours for 1 week . . . .
. . . Organ specific care and treatment are essential in cases of renal, liver or heart involvement. . . .
. . . Supportive therapy measures (esp. in severe cases) include detoxification and normalization of the hydro-electrolytic balance. . . . -
[ 05-27-2010, 03:18 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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sammy
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
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posted
I also tested positive for leptospirosis. It is usually a tropical disease. You pick it from walking or swimming in contaminated water.
I went hiking near a waterfall, through the mud, in the rain with my friends. There were clear warning signs (about the risk of contracting leptospirosis) posted at the trial beginning, we ignored them.
Luckly I got sick after returning home from the trip. I assumed that I had picked up some flu from the long plane ride. I didn't get the real serious complications like meningitis (Thank God!), I had fevers and felt bad fluey for several weeks. By the time I got tested, the doctor said that I didn't need to treat it.
Stefan, you shouldn't worry about the test results because once you are exposed, you will always test positive for this. Lyme drugs like doxy will also treat leptospirosis so you are covered anyways.
Posts: 5237 | From here | Registered: Nov 2007
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Keebler
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posted
- Sammy,
I disagree with that doctor who said it did not need to be treated. It can become chronic and be a very serious thing, indeed.
However, yes, it's handy that doxy affects it but you might want to tell your LLMD of your experience as there may be some treatment changes that would address this if it's become chronic.
Lyme patients would have trouble distinguished what infection might cause what symptoms and, as with lyme, leptospirosis could have many forms within forms that need different treatments.
Just one abstract from PubMed:
Central sleep apnea and ataxia caused by brainstem lesion due to chronic neuroleptospirosis.
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals.
It is caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. In humans, it can cause a wide range of symptoms, some of which may be mistaken for other diseases. Some infected persons, however, may have no symptoms at all.
Without treatment, Leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, respiratory distress, and even death.
Leptospirosis occurs worldwide, but is most common in temperate or tropical climates. It is an occupational hazard for many people who work outdoors or with animals, such as:
* fish workers * dairy farmers * military personnel
The disease has also been associated with swimming, wading, kayaking, and rafting in contaminated lakes and rivers.
As such, it is a recreational hazard for campers or those who participate in outdoor sports. The risk is likely greater for those who participate in these activities in tropical or temperate climates.
In addition, incidence of Leptospirosis infection among urban children appears to be increasing.
PHL - Persistent human leptospirosis - professional guide
A great number of the email queries received by the LIC concern the symptoms of persistent human leptospirosis (PHL) - the condition is more common than generally accepted and we are receiving reports each year of new manifestations.
When the acute phase of infection has run its course, patients continue to report physical and psychological symptoms in at least 20% of all infections.
These long-term effects can run for several years and are often not correctly identified and treated by medical professionals. Indeed, if the acute phase has been missed, physicians can encounter the patient within the PHL phase and correct diagnosis is bordering on the miraculous.
In general the timescale is around two to six years, with a gradual improvement over that time but in a non-linear form. Some patients report almost permanent symptoms but these are often caused by sequelae from the acute infection, combined with age-related effects.
Care should be taken to differentiate between PHL as detailed here, which is a long-term but essentially transient condition, and persistent carrier-phase leptospirosis where the subject has little or no symptoms but remains infected with the bacterium and in some cases remains infectious.
Carrier-phase infection is almost unheard of in humans though is prevalent in many animals.
PHL, in contrast, is possible in all species.
. . .
PHL: Symptoms [listed]
. . . . -
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. . . The spirochetes are divided into three families (Brachyspiraceae, Leptospiraceae, and Spirochaetaceae), all placed within a single order (Spirochaetales).
Disease-causing members of this phylum include the following:
Leptospira species, which causes leptospirosis[2]
Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease
Borrelia recurrentis, which causes relapsing fever[3]
Treponema pallidum, which causes syphilis
Treponema pertenue, which causes yaws
========================
And, within that, there are over 300 strains of just Borrelia. Lyme is just one of those - it would follow that there are far more strains of other spirochetal infections that just aren't discussed in the basic definitions.
As well, just like lyme, other spirochetal infections may also have various forms and stages. -
[ 05-27-2010, 05:35 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
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sammy
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posted
Haley, I got tested for leptospirosis when I had been sick for several weeks after traveling to a high risk area.
Keebler, thanks for digging further, sharing your research and links on this topic.
It is disturbing to me to think that I might have another chronic infection weighing me down. I never thought of telling my LLMD that I had leptospirosis. I'd honestly put it out of my mind because it happened in the past, before Lyme.
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
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posted
- Leptospirosis can be acquired anywhere. Same as lyme, it's a myth that it has borders. In Germany, a few years back a group of triathletes were infected during an event.
Sammy, I do hope you can discuss this with your LLMD as it may make an important difference in your treatment plan. It may not and you may well be covered but it's vital to get it checked out as there could be other forms that require different meds, just as the cyst form of lyme, etc.
Good luck. -
[ 05-27-2010, 07:24 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
from what iread most doctors won t prescribe meds for the non acute form.
But its good too know that doxy covers it.
Posts: 188 | From Germany | Registered: Feb 2009
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
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posted
- Well, most doctors won't prescribe meds for chronic lyme, either, but that does not mean that they should ignore it.
Doxy may cover it - but it may not cover all forms or cycles. You need an expert to be sure. It may be more simple than lyme but if the leptospirosis spirochete is anywhere near as complex, you need an expert to be sure all the bases are covered.
I suppose you can also find more about it by reading - but please don't just settle on what "most doctors" know (or think they know) about this.
I'm assuming, though, that your LLMD is aware of this (?) and if she or he is a good LLMD, they should know or - if they don't - should find out regarding both treatment choices or combinations/rotation around possible variant forms - and whether your test shows a chronic form or simply a past exposure.
It's just best to be sure, or as sure as one can be in such matters. After my ordeal with typical doctors and the IDSA, I find it's best to ask more questions from a wide variety of experts. I find that some of the typical "experts" fall short so it's good to many sources of information.
Good luck. -
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Keebler
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NEWPORT, Ore. - A sharp increase in the number of sick and dead California sea lions has been reported along the Oregon coast in recent weeks and necropsies conducted on dozens of the animals suggest that many may have died from leptospirosis.
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease found in a variety of animal species and can be transmitted to humans, according to Jim Rice, an Oregon State University scientist who coordinates the statewide Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
"We are now getting calls for multiple sick or dead sea lions daily, which is higher than normal," said Rice, an OSU Marine Mammal Institute researcher who works at the university's Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.
"The overall number of sea lions also has risen, so it's difficult to compare mortality rates from year to year, but certainly we're seeing an increase in animals that test positive for leptospirosis."
Rice and his colleagues at the stranding network have sent dozens of dead animals to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in OSU's College of Veterinary Medicine. And though not all of the animals have tested positive, many showed clear signs of leptospirosis, which raises concern about human health.
Kathy O'Reilly, who heads the bacterial section of the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, said leptospirosis can be virulent.
"There have been 50 to 100 cases per year in the United States reported to the Centers for Disease Control," O'Reilly said, "and
in 31 percent of the human cases it is traced back to contact with infected rats, and in 30 percent of the cases, it is tracked to infected dogs."
Dogs can be infected with leptospirosis through contact with stricken sea lions. Rice said coastal visitors should always avoid sea lions on the beach and during outbreaks of leptospirosis should keep their dogs on a leash.
** The disease can be transmitted by direct contact, or even through contact with damp sand, soil or vegetation contaminated by the urine of infected animals. **
** Rice said that in 2009, the network had 350 reports of California sea lions stranded on Oregon beaches - either dead or severely ill and presumed to have died. And Oregon is on pace to surpass that total this year, he pointed out. **
"Typically, sea lions with leptospirosis are quite emaciated and lethargic," Rice said. "Those that don't die on the beach may get washed out to sea and die, or they may move elsewhere. It's possible that some recover, but these are very sick animals."
The Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network is a collaborative volunteer effort to respond to reports of sick or dead marine mammals - including whales, seals and sea lions - and report data about the strandings to the National Marine Fisheries Service. It is headquartered at OSU's Marine Mammal Institute at the Hatfield Marine Science Center and coordinated by Rice.
Partners in the Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network include OSU, Portland State University, the University of Oregon's Institute for Marine Biology, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Oregon State Police, the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation and others.
Persons seeing dead or sick marine mammals on Oregon beaches are encouraged to call the Oregon State Police 1-800-452-7888. -
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Keebler
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- Not just for California and Oregon - and not just about sea lions. It's a good idea for everyone to become educated about leptospirosis. Prevention is key.
As with lyme, not everyone who becomes infected gets a rash. -
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Somebody on another lyme site tested positive for lepto and their doctor is giving them IV to get rid of it..
Posts: 574 | From Out there somewhere | Registered: Jul 2010
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A WATERBORNE OUTBREAK OF LEPTOSPIROSIS Am J Epidemiol 1987;126:535-45.
Cacciapuoti, B. (Istituto Superiore di Sanit�, 00161 Rome, Italy), L. Ciceroni, C. Maffel, F. Di Stanislao, P. Strusi, L. Calegari, R. Lupidi, G. Scalise, G. Cagnoni, and G. Renga.
During the period from July 10-26, 1984, 33 cases of serologically confirmed leptospirosis occurred in a small town in central Italy. The fatality rate, including the deaths of two unconfirmed cases, was 8.6% (3 of 35). Based on serologic evidence, the infection was caused by leptospires of the serogroup Australis.
Epidemiologic study showed that the patients contracted the infection by drinking water from a fountain. The source of leptospiral contamination was probably a hedgehog trapped in a reservoir of water not in use but still connected to the water system of the fountain.
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