Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41490137›Full record

ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2026

Leptospirosis in the Caribbean Region between 2000 and 2022: A scoping review of morbidity and mortality.

Beatris Mario Martin, Zhonghan Zhang, Sebastian Vernal, Holly Jian, Eric J Nilles, Luis Furuya-Kanamori, Benn Sartorius, Colleen L Lau

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Beatris Mario MartinUniversity of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8264-0153
Zhonghan ZhangUniversity of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Sebastian VernalUniversity of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Holly JianUniversity of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Eric J NillesHarvard Humanitarian Initiative, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Luis Furuya-KanamoriUniversity of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Benn SartoriusUniversity of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Colleen L LauUniversity of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLeptospirosis remains an important yet underreported public health concern in the Caribbean. Urbanisation, biodiversity loss and human encroachment into natural habitats have contributed to shifts in its epidemiological patterns. However, accurate assessment of disease burden is hindered by limited diagnostic capacity, surveillance challenges, and scarce research. We aim to describe geographical and temporal distribution of leptospirosis epidemiology in Caribbean Island Countries and Territories (CRICTs) and identify patterns and gaps in knowledge. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL

findingsWe conducted a systematic search across PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and the Latin America and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature databases, between 2000-2022, without language restrictions. Eligible publications were routine surveillance-based studies or cross-sectional seroprevalence surveys. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) protocol. Of 110 full-text articles reviewed, 16 met inclusion criteria, documenting leptospirosis in 15 of 27 CRICTs (55.6%). Between 2000-2010, we identified an average of 2.6 studies per year, compared to just 1.2 between 2011-2022. Nine studies (60.0%) reported surveillance data, and six (40.0%) were seroprevalence surveys. Two studies reported hospitalisation rate (12.5%), and five studies, case fatality rate (31.3%). There were more than one publication from Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago. Although most studies acknowledged links between leptospirosis and extreme weather, only three were specifically designed to investigate this association. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings highlight critical gaps in leptospirosis burden and research across the Caribbean. The scarcity of recent studies investigating epidemiological differences across rural and urban settings, and the impact of environmental changes, contributes to limited characterisation of evolving transmission patterns across the region. Strengthening regional research capacity and surveillance systems is essential to inform targeted public health strategies and reduce the disease's burden locally.

Indexed as

LeptospirosisCaribbean RegionCross-Sectional StudiesHumansMorbiditySeroepidemiologic Studies

Identifiers

PMID41490137
PMCPMC12782409

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.