leptospirosis

American  

[lep-toh-spahy-roh-sis] / ˌlɛp toʊ spaɪˈroʊ sɪs /

noun

Pathology, Veterinary Pathology.

1. an infectious disease of humans and of horses, dogs, swine, and other animals, caused by the spirochete Leptospira interrogans and characterized by fever, muscle pain, and jaundice, and in severe cases involving the liver and kidney.

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leptospirosis British  

/ ˌlɛptəʊspaɪˈrəʊsɪs /

noun

1. Also called: Weil's disease.  any of several infectious diseases caused by spirochaete bacteria of the genus Leptospira, transmitted to man by animals and characterized by jaundice, meningitis, and kidney failure

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Etymology

Origin of leptospirosis

From New Latin, dating back to 1925–30; see origin at leptospira, -osis

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

leptospirosis

Examples include people being sickened with, and dying from, rat-borne diseases such as leptospirosis after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026

Humans can get leptospirosis, contracting the illness through water or soil contaminated by the urine of infected animals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2025

In Ellie's case, metagenomics diagnosed a rare strain of the bacterial infection leptospirosis found in South America.

From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2025

Health experts had previously forecast a surge in infectious diseases including leptospirosis and hepatitis B within a couple weeks of the floods, as sewage mixed into the floodwaters.

From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2024

By contrast, swine, mainstays of European agriculture, transmit anthrax, brucellosis, leptospirosis, trichinosis, and tuberculosis.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann