Current antibiotics for leptospirosis: Are still effective?

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Leptospirosis is a significant global zoonotic disease.
• Current antibiotics can treat leptospirosis, but their effectiveness against diverse Leptospira strains is not fully understood.
• Natural resources may offer novel anti-leptospiral compounds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the anti-leptospiral activity of existing antibiotics.
• To assess antibiotic effectiveness in treating and preventing leptospirosis.
• To explore natural resources for new anti-leptospiral agents.

Main Methods:

• Literature search across multiple databases.
• Analysis of studies on antibiotic susceptibility of Leptospira strains.
• Review of natural compounds with anti-leptospiral activity.

Main Results:

• Most Leptospira strains show sensitivity to current antibiotics.
• Antibiotics can reduce fever and leptospirosis cases but lack proven mortality benefits over placebo.
• Adverse reactions, including Jarisch-Herxheimer reactions (JHR), are reported.
• Plants, marine actinobacteria, and propolis show potential for new anti-leptospiral drug discovery.

Conclusions:

• Leptospirosis remains treatable with current antibiotics.
• Continuous susceptibility testing is crucial.
• Development of novel antibiotics, particularly from natural sources, is highly recommended.