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Spirochaetes and sunshine: leptospirosis in the aftermath of the Queensland floods

Hugh Wright, Katie Goot and Benjamin Rogers
Med J Aust 2012; 196 (8): . || doi: 10.5694/mja12.10046
Published online: 7 May 2012

To the Editor: Extensive rainfall in Queensland from December 2010 to January 2011 led to much of the state being declared a disaster zone. We report on a cluster of patients requiring hospitalisation with an acute febrile illness after exposure to floodwater in Central Queensland.


  • 1 Infectious Diseases Unit, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Brisbane, QLD.
  • 2 Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine and Queensland Health, Theodore, QLD.
  • 3 University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, Brisbane, QLD.



Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

  • 1. Symonds M. National leptospirosis surveillance report number 13. WHO/FAO/OIE Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis. http://www.health.qld.gov.au/qhcss/qhss/lepto/documents/04_annual.pdf (accessed Apr 2012).
  • 2. McBride AJ, Athanazio DA, Reis MG, Ko AI. Leptospirosis. Curr Opin Infect Dis 2005; 18: 376-386.
  • 3. Bharti AR, Nally JE, Ricaldi JN, et al. Leptospirosis: a zoonotic disease of global importance. Lancet Infect Dis 2003; 3: 757-771.
  • 4. Lau CL, Smythe LD, Craig SB, Weinstein P. Climate change, flooding, urbanisation and leptospirosis: fuelling the fire? Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2010; 104: 631-638.
  • 5. Vanasco NB, Schmeling MF, Lottersberger J, et al. Clinical characteristics and risk factors of human leptospirosis in Argentina (1999–2005). Acta Trop 2008; 107: 255-258.

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