Comments on the article Leptospirosis in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil: 2007-2014

Mr. Editor: We have read the article “Leptospirosis in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil: 2007-2014”¹ and congratulate the authors for an excellent contribution; their results indicate the presence of cases of leptospirosis and its associated factors such as the signs of rodents and rainfall in areas of low socioeconomic level. Thus, we would like to highlight a fact that draws attention mainly in Peru: the presence of the rodent Sciurus stramineus, known as the white-naped squirrel, whose natural habitat is the dry forests of northwestern Peru and whose species has been introduced to urban areas², especially in some university campuses and public parks, without any restrictions. A study carried out in free populations of these squirrels in a zoo in Peru determined that 82.3% of the specimens had antibodies against leptospira, mainly serovar icterohemorraghiae³, evidencing the importance that they can play as hosts and their potential role in leptospirosis transmission in universities and spaces with concentrated human populations.

An outbreak of leptospirosis has been reported after a flood in a location that does not commonly pose a risk of active transmission for the disease, such as urban university campuses; thus recognizing that natural disasters increase the risk of exposure to leptospires⁴. Given the above mentioned and due to the climatic peculiarity of northern Peru and its antecedents with the so-called El Niño phenomenon, which increases the probability of torrential rains and floods⁵, mainly in regions where there are universities with populations of squirrels running free on their campuses, we propose that there is a potential risk of cases of leptospirosis in universities that meet the indicated characteristics.

References

• ¹ Lara JM, Von Zuben A, Costa JV, Donalisio MR, Francisco PMSB. Leptospirosis in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil: 2007-2014. Rev Bras Epidemiol 2019; 22: E190016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1980-549720190016
  » https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1980-549720190016
• ² Pacheco V, Cadenillas R, Salas E, Tello C, Zeballos H. Diversidad y endemismo de los mamíferos del Perú. Rev Peru Biol 2009; 16(1): 5-32. https://doi.org/10.15381/rpb.v16i1.111
  » https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15381/rpb.v16i1.111
• ³ Montes DA, Rivera HG, Ramírez MV, Ríos PM, Angulo CJ, Muñoz KD. Frecuencia de infección por Leptospira sp. en ardillas nuca blanca (Sciurus stramineus) en un zoológico de la ciudad de Lima. Rev Investig Vet Perú 2011; 22(1): 67-71. https://doi.org/10.15381/rivep.v22i1.124
  » https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15381/rivep.v22i1.124
• ⁴ Gaynor K, Katz AR, Park SY, Nakata M, Clark TA, Effler PV. Leptospirosis on Oahu: an outbreak associated with flooding of a university campus. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2007; 76(5): 882-6. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.2007.76.882
  » https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.2007.76.882
• ⁵ Hijar G, Bonilla C, Munayco CV, Gutierrez EL, Ramos W. Fenómeno el niño y desastres naturales: intervenciones en salud pública para la preparación y respuesta. Rev Perú Med Exp Salud Publica 2016; 33(2): 300-10. http://dx.doi.org/10.17843/rpmesp.2016.332.2205
  » https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.17843/rpmesp.2016.332.2205

• Financial support: none

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  08 July 2020
• Date of issue
  2020

History

• Received
  05 Dec 2019
• Accepted
  12 Dec 2019