Emerging Infectious Diseases (May 2007)

Leptospirosis in Urban Wild Boars, Berlin, Germany

  • Andreas Jansen,
  • Enno Luge,
  • Beatriz Guerra,
  • Petra Wittschen,
  • Achim D. Gruber,
  • Christoph Loddenkemper,
  • Thomas Schneider,
  • Michael Lierz,
  • Derk Ehlert,
  • Bernd Appel,
  • Klaus Stark,
  • Karsten Nöckler

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1305.061302
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 5
pp. 739 – 739

Abstract

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We found antibodies to leptospires in 25 (18%) of 141 wild boars from Berlin (95% confidence interval 12–25). Seropositivity was associated with chronic interstitial nephritis (odds ratio 10.5; p = 0.01), and leptospires were detected in kidney tissues. Wild boars represent a potential source for human leptospirosis in urban environments.

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