Human leptospirosis in the Vicenza area, Italy

We report the main clinical and epidemiological features of 86 cases of leptospirosis observed at the S. Bortolo Hospital, Vicenza, Italy in the period from August 1979 to August 1990. Those affected (79 males and 7 females) were mainly aged 21 to 50 years (50 patients). Forty-one cases occurred in farmers and construction workers and 32 cases in individuals who fished as a hobby or had occasional contact with ditch or river water as well as with domestic and/or wild animals or with moist soil. In two patients leptospirosis was contracted during a recreational trip to Thailand (Leptospira hardjo ) and Australia (Leptospira zanoni ), respectively. In six cases (7%) no source of infection could be identified.