Urban-Acquired Leptospirosis in Washington, DC: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Leptospirosis is rarely reported in the United States. Although primarily considered a disease of the tropics or of resource limited areas, leptospirosis is being reported more frequently in industrialized urban areas. We report a case of severe leptospirosis in a man living in Washington, DC, with occupational exposure to rats. A review of the literature was conducted, with a focus on the urban form of the disease, using the MEDLINE database from inception to May 2018. Correspondence to: Andrea Lerner, MD, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 40 Convent Dr, Bldg 40, Room 3608B, Bethesda, MD 20892. E-mail: Andrea.Lerner@nih.gov. The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose. This article has been seen, reviewed, and approved by all contributing authors; has not been previously published; and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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