AI Article Synopsis
- Sri Lanka has a high rate of human leptospirosis, particularly during monsoons and floods, prompting a study on risk factors related to environmental, animal, and work exposure.
- The study analyzed data from 483 patients, revealing that paddy workers have a significantly higher risk for leptospirosis compared to non-paddy workers, largely due to environmental factors in paddy fields.
- Interestingly, while rat exposure wasn’t a significant risk, cattle and other household animals were found to increase transmission risks, particularly for non-paddy workers, suggesting that managing animal proximity to contaminated areas could help mitigate risks for paddy workers.
Article Abstract
Sri Lanka has one of the highest incidences of human leptospirosis worldwide. Outbreaks of this zoonotic infection are related to the monsoons and flooding. The study investigates risk factors associated with environmental, animal and occupational exposure while acknowledging the potential bias due to hanta viral infections in the study samples. Data were obtained from structured interviews with 483 patients (276 cases and 207 controls). Risk exposures were studied for the entire population and for two stratified occupational groups: non-paddy workers and paddy workers. A higher odds ratio (OR) of leptospirosis transmission for paddy workers was observed compared to non-paddy workers (OR 1.905, 95% CI 1.274-2.856). Rat exposure was not associated with a significant higher risk for any of the groups. Instead, cattle and household animals seemed to be important for transmission of leptospirosis to humans, especially among non-paddy workers (OR 10.655, 95% CI 1.213-93.582). Leptospirosis in paddy workers was associated with environmental factors linked to contamination and wetness in paddy fields. Interestingly, abandoned paddy fields were found to have a protective effect against transmission to paddy workers (OR 0.421, 95% CI 0.237-0.748). Keeping animals on these dryer fields may act as a boundary for contamination of paddy fields with infectious animal urine. This finding may be considered as a public health intervention targeting leptospirosis among paddy workers.
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