title: Leptospirosis prevalence in Chinese populations in the last two decades.
abstract: Leptospirosis is a common zoonotic disease in China. From 1991 to 2010, its average annual incidence was 0.70 cases per 100,000 population. During these two decades, three major outbreaks of leptospirosis occurred due to flooding and heavy rainfall. Leptospira interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae serovar Lai is the predominant leptospire responsible for at least 60% of Chinese cases, and Apodemus agrarius serves as the major animal host. Based on the differences in predominant leptospiral serovars, epidemic features and incidence, there are three leptospirosis-prevalent regions in China. However, the incidence has significantly decreased in the last ten years.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of the School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, PR China.
authors.forename: Chenglin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002980:Climate; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007919:Leptospira / Q000145:classification; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012621:Seasons; D012737:Sex Factors