The interrelationship between meteorological parameters and leptospirosis incidence in Hambantota district, Sri Lanka 2008-2017 and practical implications

PLoS One. 2021 Jan 22;16(1):e0245366. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245366. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Background: Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonosis. Leptospirosis incidence (LI) in Sri Lanka is high. Infected animals pass leptospires to the environment with their urine. Leprospires' survival in the environment to infect a new host depends on meteorological factors. El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) modulate the weather in Sri Lanka.

Objectives: The determination of interrelationship between the LI in the Hambantota District, and local meteorological parameters, ENSO and IOD.

Methods: We acquired notified leptospirosis cases in the Hambantota District and population data. We calculated weekly leptospirosis incidences for 2008 to 2017.Weather data from two weather stations was obtained, averaged and converted into weekly data. We plotted time series graphs and observed the correlation between seven aggregated weather parameters and LI. We estimated cross-correlations between those weather parameters and LI. As our principal analysis we determined correlation between LI and seven local weather parameters, Nino 3.4, Nino4 and Dipole Mode Index (DMI) indices using wavelet analysis.

Results: Our wavelet analysis results showed troughs of minimum, maximum, mean temperatures, soil temperature, the evaporation rate, the duration of sunshine were followed by peaks in LI and peaks of rainfall followed by peaks of LI, all after lag periods. Our time series graphs and cross-correlation determination results are generally in agreement with these results. However there was no significant correlation between rainfall and LI in the cross-correlation analysis. There were peaks of LI following both peaks and troughs of DMI. There was no clear correlation between both Nino indices and LI.

Discussion: This may be the first long-term study demonstrating soil temperature, evaporation rate and IOD are correlating with LI. The correlation pattern of LI with temperature parameters differs from similar past studies and we explain the reasons. We propose ways to control high LI we observed after periods of weather favorable for transmission of leptospirosis.

MeSH terms

  • El Nino-Southern Oscillation
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Leptospirosis / epidemiology*
  • Sri Lanka / epidemiology
  • Wavelet Analysis
  • Weather

Grants and funding

The first author is an employee of Ministry of Health (Sri Lanka) and works at a government teaching hospital. Third author is an employee of a state university. Second author is an employee of a commercial company. Employers of all authors were not involved in this study anyway. This was done during authors’ free time. During the period of this study they received their usual salaries for their usual duties, (duties they would have done even if this study did not exist). This work and work of their employment were not related. No funding was received for this work. The cost was mainly borne by the 1st author. Our employers did not have any role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript and financing the study. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.