Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 21, 2026
08:51
A Modular Workflow for Quantitative, Structural and Functional Analysis of Leptospira Biofilms
Published on: December 19, 2025
WITHDRAWN: Antibiotics for preventing leptospirosis.
Fábio Guidugli1, Aldemar A Castro, Alvaro N Atallah
1Brazilian Cochrane Centre, Rua Pedro de Toledo, 598, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, 04039-001.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|July 10, 2009
Summary
Doxycycline effectively prevents leptospirosis in high-risk individuals, particularly soldiers in endemic areas. While beneficial, it carries a risk of adverse effects, necessitating careful consideration.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
- Preventive Medicine
Background:
- Leptospirosis is a serious animal-borne infectious disease with a significant mortality rate.
- Doxycycline is a commonly prescribed antibiotic for leptospirosis prophylaxis in clinical settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the efficacy and safety of antibiotic regimens for leptospirosis prophylaxis.
- To compare antibiotic prophylaxis against placebo or other antibiotic treatments.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of randomized clinical trials evaluating antibiotic prophylaxis for leptospirosis.
- Searches across multiple databases (EMBASE, LILACS, MEDLINE, etc.) with no date or language restrictions.
- Independent data extraction and quality assessment of included trials.
Main Results:
- Two trials met inclusion criteria, comparing doxycycline with placebo in 1022 participants (primarily soldiers).
- Doxycycline significantly reduced symptomatic leptospirosis (0.6% vs. 4.9%, NNT=24).
- Adverse effects were slightly higher with doxycycline (3% vs. 0.2%, NNH=39).
Conclusions:
- Doxycycline prophylaxis is effective in preventing leptospirosis among soldiers in high-risk endemic areas.
- The generalizability of these findings to other populations requires further investigation.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Bacterial Phylum Spirochaetes
Spirochetes, unique bacteria in the phylum Spirochaetes, are gram-negative, motile, tightly coiled, slender, and flexible. They inhabit aquatic sediments and animals, with some causing diseases like syphilis. Spirochetes are classified into eight genera based on habitat, pathogenicity, phylogeny, and characteristics.Their distinctive motility arises from endoflagella, located within the cell’s periplasm. These endoflagella anchor at the cell poles and extend along the cell length, encased by a...
01:28Acute Pyelonephritis II: Diagnostic Studies and Management
Introduction:For diagnosing acute pyelonephritis, a comprehensive patient history is collected to identify symptoms such as dysuria, frequent or urgent urination, flank pain, or costovertebral angle (CVA) tenderness that may suggest a kidney infection.Physical ExaminationDuring the physical examination, CVA tenderness is assessed. This involves gentle percussion over the costovertebral angle, where tenderness often indicates a kidney infection.Diagnostic TestsUrinalysis: Used to identify white...
01:21Antiprotozoal Agents
Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by several Leishmania species. It affects millions of people each year and remains a major public health problem in endemic regions. First-line treatment relies on pentavalent antimonials, including meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate. Even so, how these drugs work has not been fully clear, especially their interaction with parasite-specific biochemical pathways. One key target is trypanothione reductase (TR), an enzyme that...
01:26Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) is a severe tick-borne illness caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, a Gram-negative, coccobacillary bacterium. This pathogen is an obligate intracellular parasite, requiring a host cell for replication. Transmission occurs through the bite of an infected tick. In the United States, the most important vectors are Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick) and Dermacentor andersoni (Rocky Mountain wood tick), though other tick species may also serve as vectors.
01:25Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) presents a critical public health threat, arising from its capacity to resist β-lactam antibiotics due to acquisition of the mecA gene within the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec). This gene encodes penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a), which impairs binding efficacy of methicillin and other β-lactams. MRSA has evolved into distinct clonal lineages impacting humans and animals alike, reinforcing its significance within the One...
01:28Inhibitors of Bacterial DNA Synthesis
Bacterial pathogens depend on precise and efficient DNA replication to sustain infection. Two type II topoisomerases—DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV—are critical to this process, as they resolve DNA supercoiling and unlink chromosomes during replication. Fluoroquinolones, synthetic derivatives of quinolones, exploit this mechanism by stabilizing the transient DNA–enzyme cleavage complex, preventing strand religation, and causing lethal double-strand breaks. These antibiotics are selectively...