Leptospirosis results from infection by the zoonotic Leptospira spp. The condition can have multiorgan manifestations. Commonly affected organs include:
- lung: pulmonary leptospirosis
- liver: hepatic leptospirosis
- central nervous system: CNS leptospirosis
- skeletal muscle: muscular leptospirosis
- kidneys: renal leptospirosis
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Terminology
The term Weil disease (or syndrome) is reserved for a severe form of leptospirosis in which there is jaundice, often also accompanied by: uremia, anemia, a bleeding tendency, fever, and delirium. Other names used for this condition have included: Fiedler disease, icterohemorrhagic leptospirosis, and infectious or leptospiral jaundice.
Pathology
Typically occurs as a biphasic illness:
- acute phase: last 4-9 days
- asymptomatic period: 1-3 days
- late phase: 1-3 days
History and etymology
Weil disease was first described by Adolf Weil, a German physician (1848-1916) 3.