Integrating resident perceptions and ecoepidemiological measures of zoonotic disease risk: leptospirosis in Argentina

ANDREA PREVITALLI; DIEGO MENDICINO; CELESTE MEDRANO; MAXIMILIANO CRISTALDI; JUAN DIEGO MARTÍNEZ; ASTOR BOROTTO; MARIANA MAGLIANESE; EVA RUEDA; TAMARA RICARDO; ESTABAN BUGARELLA; MARIANA SANMARTINO

Washington

Congreso; 99th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists; 2019

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of global distribution caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira, acquired by direct or indirect contact with urine of infected mammalian hosts. We used a One Health approach to investigate leptospirosis in two marginal neighborhoods of the city of Santa Fe by considering aspects of animal, human and environmental health. Our goal was to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of overall leptospirosis risk and ways to reduce it by involving multiple sectors and disciplines in a participatory action research program with two complementary approaches. The eco-epidemiological approach involved the analysis of biological samples, surveys and observations made in the field. The anthropological-cultural approach involved ethnographic methods, including interviews, workshops, and collective mappings to inquire about public risk perception. The articulation of the two approaches enabled obtaining results from samples collected from sites relevant for the community, integrating popular knowledge on the biology of the synanthropic mammals with those obtained from traditional methods, and to consider common human-wildlife interactions when evaluating potential transmission risk. Here, we present some of the insights gained on the multiple dimensions of this zoonotic disease and discuss some of the challenges faced when working collectively with citizens in promoting actions to reduced risk.