title: Human leptospirosis: an emerging risk in Europe?
abstract: Leptospirosis has been reemerging in both developed and developing countries including Europe, where, this phenomenon has notably been associated with urban transmission. However, the comprehensive data that are needed to fully understand the ongoing epidemiological trends are lacking. In this article, we report surveillance data from throughout Europe, especially in France, to have an overview of this neglected disease in temperate countries. Our results underline the important role of wild rodents as reservoir of leptospirosis, and highlight the potential danger of a reemergence of this under-reported infectious disease in European cities, associated with the important expansion of the rat population in urban areas.
authors.affiliation: Fédération de Bactériologie-Hygiène-Virologie, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire La Timone, 264 rue Saint-Pierre, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dupouey
authors.affiliation: Service des Maladies Infectieuses, CHU Hôpital Nord, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, 13015 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Faucher
authors.affiliation: Unité de recherche sur les maladies infectieuses et tropicales émergentes (URMITE), CNRS UMR 7278 IRD 198 INSERM U1095 Aix-Marseille Université, Facultés de médecine et de pharmacie, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Edouard
authors.affiliation: Fédération de Bactériologie-Hygiène-Virologie, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire La Timone, 264 rue Saint-Pierre, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France; Unité de recherche sur les maladies infectieuses et tropicales émergentes (URMITE), CNRS UMR 7278 IRD 198 INSERM U1095 Aix-Marseille Université, Facultés de médecine et de pharmacie, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Richet
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des leptospires, Equipe PERS, VetAgro Sup, Campus Vétérinaire de Lyon, 1 Av Bourgelat, 69280 Marcy l'Etoile, France.
authors.forename: Angeli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kodjo
authors.affiliation: Fédération de Bactériologie-Hygiène-Virologie, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire La Timone, 264 rue Saint-Pierre, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France; Unité de recherche sur les maladies infectieuses et tropicales émergentes (URMITE), CNRS UMR 7278 IRD 198 INSERM U1095 Aix-Marseille Université, Facultés de médecine et de pharmacie, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drancourt
authors.affiliation: Unité de recherche sur les maladies infectieuses et tropicales émergentes (URMITE), CNRS UMR 7278 IRD 198 INSERM U1095 Aix-Marseille Université, Facultés de médecine et de pharmacie, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France; Groupe de travail en épidémiologie animale du service de santé des armées, BP95 83800 Toulon Cedex 9, France. Electronic address: bernard.davoust@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Davoust
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007919:Leptospira / Q000502:physiology*; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012377:Rodentia / Q000382:microbiology*
keywords: Environmental exposure; Epidemiology; Europe; Leptospira interrogans; Leptospirosis; Rodents transmission; Zoonoses