China review finds ongoing human and canine leptospirosis burden

A new systematic review and meta-analysis in Preventive Veterinary Medicine pulls together the available evidence on human and canine leptospirosis in China and concludes that the disease remains a meaningful zoonotic burden, with moderate pooled prevalence in both people and dogs and substantial variation by geography and host factors. The review included 109 studies from 29 provinces, covering 111,542 human samples and 8,875 dog samples, and was designed to support One Health surveillance and prevention planning in China. The authors argue that shared environmental exposure between humans and dogs continues to shape risk, rather than leptospirosis being a resolved or narrowly localized issue. (sciencedirect.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the paper reinforces dogs’ dual role in leptospirosis surveillance: they can be clinical patients, but also sentinels of environmental exposure and possible human risk. That matters in China, where broader zoonotic disease analyses have found leptospirosis has not shown clear recent declines, and where researchers are calling for tighter integration of human, animal, and environmental surveillance systems. Related canine studies from China also suggest risk can vary by age and season, with higher seropositivity reported in adult dogs and in summer and autumn in some regions, which may help clinics refine testing, prevention counseling, and vaccine discussions with pet parents. (idpjournal.biomedcentral.com)

What to watch: Expect this paper to add momentum to calls for more standardized canine surveillance, better regional risk mapping, and stronger One Health coordination around leptospirosis in China. (bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com)