China review highlights ongoing leptospirosis risk in people and dogs

A new systematic review and meta-analysis in Preventive Veterinary Medicine pulls together the available evidence on human and canine leptospirosis in China, highlighting that the disease remains a meaningful One Health concern despite long-term declines in reported human incidence. The review included 109 studies from 29 provinces, covering 111,542 human samples and 8,875 dog samples, and found ongoing geographic and host-related variation in exposure and infection patterns. The authors argue that shared environmental exposure between people and dogs, plus uneven surveillance, means leptospirosis remains under-recognized rather than resolved. (sciencedirect.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the paper is a reminder that dogs sit inside the surveillance picture, not outside it. Human leptospirosis incidence in China fell from 0.047 per 100,000 in 2010 to 0.009 in 2018, then edged back up to 0.019 in 2023, while recent China CDC reporting says sporadic cases and localized outbreaks still occur. That combination, declining national burden but persistent local risk, supports continued attention to canine vaccination, diagnostic suspicion in dogs with acute kidney injury or hepatic involvement, and closer coordination between companion animal practice and public health. Recent AAHA guidance in North America also now classifies leptospirosis vaccination as a core recommendation for dogs, underscoring how seriously the profession is treating the zoonotic risk. (idpjournal.biomedcentral.com)

What to watch: Watch for whether this review prompts more region-specific canine surveillance, serovar tracking, and One Health control planning in higher-risk parts of China. (sciencedirect.com)