[Current review of the epidemiology of leptospirosis]

Spirochete bacteria Leptospira spp. is the causative agent of leptospirosis, antropozoonotic endemic disease in many parts of the world, mainly in underdeveloped countries with high levels of poverty. Its incidence and prevalence rates are higher and important in human populations living in tropical and subtropical climates. Leptospira spp., is capable of infecting more than 160 species of domestic and wild mammals, including human beings, causing various and nonspecific clinical manifestations that make the diagnosis of the disease rarely accurate. In Mexico, the first reports of leptospirosis dating from 1920 and is now considered a matter of public and animal health, mainly for the economic losses it generates. The aim of this paper is to present a review in Spanish, containing the most important aspects in the epidemiology of leptospirosis, to serve as a starting point for students and researchers who are interested about this endemic disease in Mexico.