title: Human leptospirosis cases and the prevalence of rats harbouring Leptospira interrogans in urban areas of Tokyo, Japan.
abstract: Thirteen patients with leptospirosis were identified, as confirmed by laboratory analysis during the last 5 years in our laboratory, who came from urban areas of Tokyo, Japan. All of the patients came into contact with rats before the onset of illness. Seventeen per cent of Norway rats captured in the inner cities of Tokyo carried leptospires in their kidneys. Most of these rat isolates were Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni/Icterohaemorrhagiae. Antibodies against these serovars and their DNA were detected in the patients. This suggests that rats are important reservoirs of leptospirosis, and that rat-borne leptospires occur in urban areas of Tokyo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koizumi
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.
authors.forename: Maki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muto
authors.affiliation: Ikari Corporation, 579 Chibadera, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-0844, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanikawa
authors.affiliation: Tokyo Metropolitan Animal Care and Consultation Center, 3-2-1 Jonanjima, Ohta-ku, Tokyo 143-0002, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mizutani
authors.affiliation: Tokyo Metropolitan Animal Care and Consultation Center, 3-2-1 Jonanjima, Ohta-ku, Tokyo 143-0002, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sohmura
authors.affiliation: Section of Environmental Parasitology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan.
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.affiliation: Section of Environmental Parasitology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akao
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.
authors.forename: Mayu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoshino
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawabata
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D006801:Humans; D007921:Leptospira interrogans / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015995:Prevalence; D051381:Rats / Q000382:microbiology*; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D014041:Tokyo / Q000453:epidemiology; D014504:Urban Health; D015047:Zoonoses