Leptospirosis is a widespread and potentially fatal zoonosis that is endemic in many tropical regions.1 Small mammals are the most important reservoirs. Humans commonly become infected through direct contact with an infected animal or through contact via soil or water contaminated with urine from an infected animal. Leptospirosis ranges in severity from a mild, influenza-like illness to a severe infection characterised by multiorgan dysfunction. The combination of jaundice and renal failure is known as Weil’s disease. The incubation period is 2 to 30 days and illness usually occurs 5 to14 days after exposure.2 Based on the World Health Organization’s laboratory criteria of leptospirosis, a probable diagnosis can be made when a positive result is obtained from a rapid screening test such as IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), latex agglutination test, lateral flow or dipstick. A confirmatory diagnosis can be made based on any of the following: isolation from blood or other clinical materials through culture of pathogenic Leptospira, a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) result using a validated method (primarily for blood and serum in the early stages of infection) or a fourfold or greater rise in titre or seroconversion in microscopic agglutination test (MAT) on paired samples obtained at least 2 weeks apart.
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