Leptospirosis Seroprevalence in Humans and Livestock of East Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2000-2024).
Systematic Review
Leptospirosis is a rapidly spreading and neglected zoonotic disease, whose transmission is interlinked between animals, humans and the environment. Even though leptospirosis is an endemic disease in East Africa, there is no updated information regarding the overall seroprevalence in humans, cattle, goats and sheep. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled seroprevalence of leptospirosis and associated factors among cattle, humans, goats and sheep in East Africa (from 2000 to 2024). Upon literature search from databases and registries, 36 articles reporting the seroprevalence of leptospirosis in humans, cattle, goats and sheep were included for the final meta-analysis. The pooled seroprevalence was higher in cattle at 23% (95% CI: 17.2-27.01), followed by 19.9% in goats (95% CI: 2.7-68.9) and 12.5% in humans (95% CI: 7.05-211). Regarding countries, there was the highest seroprevalence of leptospirosis in Ethiopia (25.7% [95% CI: 14.3-41.8]) and the lowest in Uganda (13.01% [95% CI: 2.11-50.97]). Seroprevalence of leptospirosis in different diagnostic methods was 16.5 (95% CI: 8.52-29.46) and 16.5 (95% CI: 12.3-23) in ELISA and MAT, respectively. The meta-regression analysis identified the sample size and study country as significant moderators (p < 0.1). The model incorporating sample size explained 58.89% of the heterogeneity. The observed high seroprevalence highlights the urgent need for improved diagnostic confirmation, as well as strengthened control and prevention strategies in the region.
