2008 August 13 CTY Leptospirosis sign near Manoa Stream. SB photo by Craig T. Kojima
On August 29th, 2017 Tristan Yver was doing what many 22-year-olds living on Oahu do: cliff jumping into the pools at Maunawili falls and having a killer time with friends. A week later, Tristan began having flu-like symptoms including fever, vomiting, and having the most horrible aches and pains in his legs he’d ever experienced. He went to the ER, where they dismissed it as the flu and sent him home. Several days went by and his condition worsened until he could barely walk. It got so bad that he had to use his office chair to get to his restroom to vomit. Eventually, he decided to have his friend take him to the ER where he was placed in a wheelchair and put back on IV fluids and blood tests were drawn. While waiting, he began to cough. It felt wet so he coughed into a napkin, and to his disbelief, it was covered in blood. He cried out for help to the nurse. His last memory at that point was seeing the nurses and doctors rushing into his room before everything went black.
Unbeknownst to Tristan’s medical providers, Tristan had contracted full blown Weil’s disease, a severe form of the bacterial infection known as Leptospirosis. The infection was quickly attacking his organs, including his lungs, liver, kidneys, and brain. It took ten days of an induced coma and a battery of broad-spectrum antibiotics to save Tristan’s life. The ordeal left him 40 pounds lighter and needing months of rehabilitation.
Despite being one of the most widespread animal-to-human transmitted illnesses, Leptospirosis is not well known to the general public. It is found on every continent with the exception of Antarctica and is especially common in tropical areas, making the surfing world particularly susceptible. It’s caused by several species of corkscrew-shaped bacteria belonging to the same group of bacteria responsible for Syphilis and Lyme disease. The bacteria thrive in the kidneys of its host and is secreted through the urine into the environment, where it can infect another mammalian host. Human infection usually results from exposure to waterways like streams or natural swimming holes contaminated with the urine of an infected animal (usually rodents or domestic animals like goats, pigs, or cattle). The bacteria can enter the body through several routes including the eyes, ingestion, or through the skin via cuts and scrapes.
As a diagnosis can be unreliable and can take up to weeks to confirm, prevention is the name of the game. If fever, muscle aches, and headache develop after exposure to natural waterways, seeking prompt medical attention is key as blood tests for antibodies can detect the infection in the first weeks. Avoiding contaminated waterways, especially when skin is compromised, is the best method.
Puerto Rico experienced a surge in cases after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in September, likely due to contact with contaminated flood water. Due to global changes in climate, the disease, like many others, is an increasing threat to humans. As ocean temperatures rise, storms are becoming larger and flooding becoming more frequent, making urine contamination with Leptospirosis waterways more likely.
