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Updated: Aug 5, 2025

Author Spotlight: Leptospira DNA Detection in Water for Environmental Analysis and Disease Surveillance
Published on: June 14, 2024
LEPTOSPIROSIS AND LIVER ABSCESS: AN UNUSUAL ASSOCIATION
Pedro Ribeirinho-Soares1,2, Miguel Souto3, Jorge Almeida1
1Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Center of São João, E.P.E., Porto, Portugal.
Abstract:
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic infection infrequently reported in non-tropical regions. Although classically described as a biphasic illness, unusual clinical manifestations have been reported, including a previous case of a lung abscess associated with this causative agent. We present the case of a 49-year-old man with a new diagnosis of two liver abscesses associated with leptospirosis.
Learning Points:
Leptospirosis is a zoonosis caused by spirochetes of the genus Leptospira; the infection is more commonly reported in tropical regions.Leptospirosis classically manifests as a biphasic illness, the first phase characterized by high fever that coincides with leptospiraemia, followed by a brief period when the patient is afebrile. In the second phase, fever returns, accompanied by jaundice and renal failure.The unusual clinical manifestations of leptospirosis include a previous report of a lung abscess, but despite frequent liver involvement, liver abscess in this context has not previously been described.
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