学位論文内容の要旨
博士の専攻分野の名称

博士（医 学）氏名

Chandika Damesh GAMAGE

学位論文題名Surveillance and Epidemiology of Leptospirosis among Humans and Animals, Sri Lanka:
Search for Important Reservoirs(スリランカにおけるヒトおよび動物のレプトスピラ症に関する疫学調査:保菌動物の特定に向けて)[Background and Objectives]
Leptospirosis, which is caused by spirochetes belonging to the genus Leptospira, is a worldwide
public health problem. Annual incidence rates range from approximately 0.1–1 per 100,000 persons intemperate climate to 10–100 in humid tropical climate. The occurrence of the disease is usually related withsocioeconomic and climatic conditions, which in turn favor animal vectors and human exposure.
Clinical diagnosis of leptospirosis is complicated due to the varied and non-specific manifestations ofits symptoms. Poor and inadequate laboratory facilities tend to also hamper the accurate confirmation of
leptospirosis, thus the disease remains largely under-estimated especially in resource-constrained settings.
Leptospires infection, one of the 28 notifiable diseases in Sri Lanka, is routinely reported to theMinistry of Health through the National Disease Reporting System. While the government’s reporting systemhas captured an uptrend in the notifications of leptospirosis cases, it requires further clinical andepidemiological information with which to understand and control the disease dynamics. Thus, in 2004, inparallel to its notifiable diseases reporting system, the government started hospital-based sentinel surveillance
for leptospirosis. The sentinel surveillance seeks to obtain information on clinical, epidemiological, laboratory
and prophylactic treatment among those suspected of having an infection. The country’s inadequate laboratory
facilities suggest that the bulk of reported cases of leptospirosis remain unconfirmed. Due to the use ofsaprophytic leptospira in genus-specific micro-agglutination test to confirm the infection, the laboratory data in
Sri Lanka are often incomplete. Thus, limited local information is available on circulating leptospiralserogroups and species, and status of reservoir animals. This epidemiological information is important for
disease control and prevention.
This study aimed 1) to describe the dynamics of leptospira infection; 2) to identify circulating
leptospiral serogroups and species; 3) to estimate the prevalence and carrier status of leptospirosis insmallholder dairy cattle and peridomestic rodents; and 4) to identify hantavirus infection among leptospirosis
suspected patients.
[Materials and Methods]
Multiple research methods were employed to fulfill the research objectives. All research activities
were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, the University of Peradeniya.
Dynamics of leptospira infection: All variables from the Ministry of Health’s nation-wide sentinel
surveillance data on leptospirosis from 2005 to 2008 were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Circulating leptospiral serogroups and species, and prevalence and carrier status: This particularresearch activity was undertaken in Kandy District because of our ongoing collaboration with the University ofPeradeniya. Humans and animals were involved. In 2008, blood samples were collected from patients at theUniversity of Peradeniya Teaching Hospital. These patients had acute febrile disease and fulfilled the casedefinition criteria for leptospirosis. In 2009, blood and urine specimens were obtained from smallholder dairy
cattle and blood and kidney samples from peridomestic rodents in the Yatinuwara and Udunuwara divisionalsecretariats of the district. Both human and animal samples were serologically analyzed using microscopic
agglutination test (MAT) with a battery of pathogenic leptospiral strains and genetically examined using
polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Hantavirus infection: The human blood specimens to detect anti-hantaviral antibodies were derived
from the same samples used in the 2008 research to identify leptospira infection. This additional laboratory
investigation was carried out to determine co-infections and/or differential diagnosis, since leptospirosis andhantavirus have similar clinical and epidemiological features. Serum specimens were screened by employing
indirect immunoflourescence and Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
[Results]

Dynamics of leptospira infection: Of 4000 suspected cases, approximately half (46.9%) and one fourth(26.8%) were recorded from Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces, respectively. Most were men (83.5%) andaged 30-49 years (45.6%). 16.5% were farmers and 16.1% were laborers and nearly half (44.8%) had no
information on occupation. Half (53.9%) had an exposure to paddy lands. Almost all or most had acute fever(98.8%), myalgia (92.9%) and headache (92.7%); fewer had other related symptoms. Moreover, 2496 cases(62.4%) underwent a laboratory examination to detect proteinuria and blood urea nitrogen, complete blood cellcount, and MAT, of which 1482 (59.4%) had laboratory test results. Merely 107 (2.7%) had MAT results andonly 69 (1.7%) cases took an antibiotic prophylactic treatment. There were increases in the numbers ofsuspected leptospirosis deaths reported to sentinel surveillance sites from 19 deaths in 2005 to 108 in 2008. Of
108 deaths, 27, 26, 17 and 14 deaths were reported from Colombo, Kandy, Kalutara, and Kegalle districts,respectively.
Circulating leptosprial serogroups and species in febrile patients: Anti-leptospiral antibodies were
found in 26 of 107 serum specimens studied (24.3%). The predominant reacting serogroups was Sejroe (9/26,34.6%) followed by Icterohaemorrhagiae (5/26, 19.2%). Leptospiral DNA was detected in 3 (2 L. interrogans
and 1 L. kirschneri) of the 107 serum specimens. Anti-leptospiral antibodies did not detect in PCR positivespecimens.
Prevalence and carrier status of leptospirosis in smallholder dairy cattle and peridomestic rodents:
The cattle in 19 (38.8%) of the 49 farms harbored anti-leptospiral antibodies. Out of 113 cattle serum
specimens, 23 (20.3%) were positive; 17 (73.95%) and 6 (26.1%) reacted with serogroups Sejroe andHebdomadis, respectively. Out of the 74 rodent specimens, 13 (17.5%) were positive; 8 (61.5%) and 4 (30.7%)
had reactions to serogroups Javanica and Icterohaemorrhagiae, respectively. Leptospiral DNA was detected in
one cattle urine sample and identified as L. interrogans.
Hantavirus infection: Among 105 patients suspected as having leptospirosis, eight had only IgG antihantavirus antibodies. Serotyping ELISA shows that eight patients had high optical density values for Thailandvirus. Most of the sera indicated that the focus reduction neutralization test titer against Thailand virus washigher than the test titer against Seoul virus. A lack of significant association was observed between presenceof hantavirual antibodies and socio-demographic characteristics.
[Discussion]
Among others, the results from the sentinel surveillance data analysis reveal that the suspected cases
for leptospirosis mainly come from areas with high rainfall levels and from specific socio-demographic
categories (e.g., men, aged 30-49 years, agricultural workers). Laboratory confirmation of suspected cases is
not sufficient and needs to be institutionalized more routinely.
Serological and genetic analyses of human samples confirm the existence of a wide array of
leptospiral species and serogroups in Kandy.
There was a high prevalence of leptospirosis in both smallholder dairy cattle and peridomestic rodents.
The carrier status of dairy cattle in the area was identified by detecting leptospiral DNA in cattle urine using
flaB-PCR. The dairy cattle in Sri Lanka are not vaccinated against leptospirosis; the detected anti-leptospirosis
antibodies are attributed to natural infection. Thus, infected cattle could be a source of infection for the rest ofthe herd. Half of the dairy farmers allowed their cattle to free-roam in the area, suggesting that cattle could also
contaminate the environment.
The study found IgG anti-hantavirus antibodies that are indicate prior infection of Thailand virusrelated hantavirus among patients.
[Conclusion]
Our findings suggest that leptospirosis is indeed a re-emerging infectious disease in Sri Lanka. Control
and prevention measures must be continued and improved (e.g. community-based education programs
fostering awareness and hygiene practices among people at-risk). These interventions need to give due andspecial attention to geographic areas with a high rate of case fatality and to individuals of particular sociodemographic categories (e.g., men and agricultural workers).
Animal reservoirs must be provided with critical attention. Serological data indicate that the cattle,relative to rodents, constitute a more important reservoir for human transmission and a greater source ofpotential risk to local agricultural communities in the study area. However, further studies are needed toidentify important reservoirs. These studies must isolate and characterize leptospires from domestic and feral
animals, and humans in this area.