Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of our 2022 Special Issue, "Epidemiology of Leptospira sp. Infection: Current Status, Insights and Future Prospects".

Leptospirosis is an emerging zoonosis, especially in subtropical and tropical regions. The etiologic agent belongs to the order Spirochaetales, family Leptospiraceae and genus Leptospira. It affects several animal species causing great economic losses in livestock, and the negative effects of the disease on the productive and reproductive indices of ruminants are well known, causing abortion, repetition of estrus, the birth of weak animals, stillbirth and decreased production of milk, in addition to being a serious public health concern.

Leptospires are shed and maintained in the environment by several hosts, such as wild, domestic and synanthropic animals, with rodents being the main reservoirs. The disease is complex, including the natural environment, asymptomatic reservoirs and susceptible hosts. Domestic animals can get infected and act as sources of infection for other animals or humans, and the main transmission routes are direct or indirect contact with urine, placenta, vaginal fluid, venereal contact, and intrauterine infection, contributing to the endemism of the disease. Disease control becomes complex as multiple hosts can act as asymptomatic carriers or develop mild or severe disease. Humans are most commonly infected through occupational, recreational or domestic contact with the urine of carrier animals, either directly or through contaminated water or soil.

This Special Issue aims to address the current status, insights and future prospects on the epidemiology of Leptospira sp. infection, with a broad emphasis on the relevant aspects such as a deeper understanding of the biodiversity of strains that can lead to infections in both humans and animals, molecular epidemiology, improvement of diagnostic methods and new epidemiological insights. We invite the submission of reviews and original research articles.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Sérgio Santos De Azevedo
Guest Editor

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• Leptospira sp.
• leptospirosis
• epidemiology
• control
• environment
• diagnosis