Eco-epidemiology of Leptospirosis in Latin America: Understanding the Dynamics of Transmission Within a Community

钩端螺旋体病是一种具有全球公共卫生重要性的感染，由可从动物传播给人类的钩端螺旋体细菌引起。人类感染可在接触受感染动物或接触钩端螺旋体污染的环境后发生，通常与农业实践、家庭或娱乐用水污染、不良住房和废物处理以及受感染动物（啮齿动物、家畜和野生动物）密度或接近度的变化有关。人们对细菌传播的机制以及影响人类感染可能性的生态和社会因素知之甚少。 本项目的目的是阐明端螺旋体病如何在社区内传播，并量化多种感染源的相对重要性。研究小组将研究影响智利南部农村、城市周边和城市社区人类感染的生态和社会因素，以确定有效的干预战略，减少钩端螺旋体病对人类健康的影响。 这项研究意义重大，因为它将有助于控制钩端螺旋体病和其他严重的动物源性人类感染。 这一项目的更广泛影响包括培训新出现的传染病和全球卫生领域的专业人员，制定研究人类感染的环境来源的方法，以及建立多国和多学科伙伴关系，以防治对全球卫生具有重要意义的传染病。

Leptospirosis, an infection of worldwide public health importance, is caused by Leptospira bacteria that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Human infection can occur after contact with infected animals or with a Leptospira-contaminated environment usually associated with agricultural practices, contamination of household or recreational water, poor housing and waste disposal, and changes in the density or proximity of infected animal (rodents, domestic animals, and wildlife). The mechanisms involved in the transmission of the bacteria and the ecological and sociological factors that affect the likelihood of human infection are poorly understood. The objective of this project is to clarify how leptospirosis is transmitted in a community and to quantify the relative importance of the multiple sources of infection. The research team will study the ecological and sociological elements that influence human infection in rural, peri-urban and urban communities in southern Chile in order to identify effective intervention strategies for reducing the impact of leptospirosis on human health. This research is significant because it will aid in the control of leptospirosis and other serious human infections of animal origin. Broader impacts of this project include training of professionals in the area of emerging infectious diseases and global health, development of methodologies for studying the environmental sources of human infections, and the establishment of multinational and multidisciplinary partnerships for combating infectious diseases of global health importance.