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Weil’s Disease Symptoms

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Weil’s disease is the severe form of Leptospirosis. There are more than ten different genetic types of Leptospira that may cause disease in humans and Weil’s disease is only one of them.

Here are the symptoms of Weil’s Disease.

  1. Jaundice – the skin of the infected person turns yellowish
  2. Kidney failure
  3. Internal bleeding (bleeding kidney, lungs, infected areas)
  4. Coughing up blood
  5. Headaches
  6. Muscle pains
  7. High fever
  8. Meningitis

Weil’s Disease Symptoms

You can be infected by Weil’s Disease on various parts of your body. Depending on where you are infected by Weil’s Disease, the symptoms may differ. The symptoms of Weil’s disease can be a mixture of all if multiple areas are infected.

Symptoms of Weil’s Disease in Kidneys, Liver or Heart

If you are infected by Weil’s Disease on one of those organs, here are the following symptoms you may experience:

  1. Feeling nauseous
  2. Jaundice — a condition where your skin and the sclera (white parts of your eyes) become yellowish in color.
  3. Appetite loss
  4. Uncontrolled weight loss
  5. Fatigue
  6. Unusual, rapid heart beat
  7. Difficulty in breathing, shortness of breath
  8. Difficulty in urinating, decreased urination
  9. Painful swelling of the liver
  10. Swollen ankles, feet or hands

Symptoms of Weil’s Disease in the Brain

It is rarer for Weil’s Disease to hit your brain, but it happens. Here are the symptoms:

  1. Involuntary movements, being unable to control your movements
  2. Being unable to speak
  3. Photophobia, becoming sensitive to light, aversion to lights
  4. Exhibiting aggressive behavior
  5. Confused mental state
  6. Drowsiness, vomiting, feeling nauseous and having high fever
  7. Experiencing pain in the neck and constantly moving the neck

Symptoms of Weil’s Disease in the Lungs

Being infected by Weil’s Disease with your lungs is slightly more common to happen. Here are the symptoms:

  1. Coughing up blood
  2. Having constant high fever
  3. Shortness of breath

If Weil’s disease causes bleeding into the lungs then it is known as severe pulmonary haemorrhage syndrome.

What causes Weil’s Disease

Weil’s disease is the secondary phase of leptospirosis, a disease caused by the bacteria called “leptospira”.

There are different animals that can carry the bacteria, contract the disease and infect humans. However, rodents (rats) are the main animals responsible for infecting humans with leptospirosis and Weil’s disease.

  • Common Animals that causes Weil’s Disease
    1. Rats
      • Rats are the number one spreaders of the bacteria by drinking contaminated waters from sewage, dirty ponds and more.
    2. Pigs and Cattle
      • Livestock pigs and cattle commonly get leptospira bacteria through exposure to mice urine, contaminated waters
    3. Dogs
      • Dogs can catch leptospirosis or the bacteria by licking mice urine on floor or drinking water from the canals that may be infected by bacteria.
  • Other mammals that can carry the bacteria
    1. Deer
    2. Rabbit
    3. Sheep
    4. Swine
    5. Raccoons
    6. Hedgehogs
    7. Skunks
    8. Opossums
  • Reptiles and Cold-Blooded Animals
    1. Frogs
    2. Snakes
    3. Turtles
    4. Toads
    5. Crocodiles
  • African wildlife
    1. Egyptian foxes
    2. Shrews
    3. Rusa deer
    4. Banded mongoose

Both wild and domestic animals can carry the disease and transmit it to humans.

Animals can contract the leptospira bacteria when they drink contaminated waters. The bacteria is often found in ponds, rivers, sewers, puddles, agricultural fields, and most soils.

Contaminated waters is where most rats drink from such as the sewers.

How Weil’s Disease spreads

The disease or the bacteria is spread through animal urine, or water and soil contaminated with animal urine that carries the bacteria.

Coming into contact with water with the urine contaminated by leptospira bacteria enters the human body (and other animals’ body) through the skin, eyes, mouth, or the nose.

If a person have an open wound or even minor cuts, they are at a higher risk to contract leptospira if they are exposed to the bacteria.

The disease is studied to be unable to penetrate healthy, in tact skin. If the skin have open wounds, that is the time the risk level is high.

Where Weil’s Disease commonly occurs

The area where Weil’s Disease develops into humans is heavily affected by the surrounding environment.

In most developing countries, Weil’s disease commonly occurs in farmers and residents who live in areas with poor sanitation.

Cattle can easily drink water and step on contaminated soil and spread the disease to the farmers. There are also plenty of rats lurking around farmlands.

Rats are also present in areas with poor sanitation levels. When there are heavy downpours or a rainfall, those who are involved in outdoor activities in warm and wet areas can be infected by the disease.

There are also times when floodwater mixes up with sewer water and animal urine and any person exposed to the contaminated water is at risk of getting infected by leptospirosis and develop Weil’s disease, the secondary phase of leptospirosis.

The number of infected patients tend to increase during rainy season.

In other situations, people who are often involved in water related activities such as fishing and swimming tend to become exposed to the bacteria and develop the disease.

Sewage workers and garbage collectors are also commonly affected by the bacteria.

What are the risks of Weil’s Disease

The symptoms listed above should be enough to tell you the risks. However, Weil’s disease can become fatal if not treated with utmost care.

Pregnant women can be infected by the disease and may lead to miscarriage or infection in infants.

For some people, it could lead to death. However, for most cases, as long as the patient is properly treated, they manage to get a full recovery from leptospirosis or Weil’s disease.

Overall, the risk of death for those infected by the disease is 5% to 10%. As for those who are showing symptoms of jaundice, the fatality rate can increase up to 15%.

When the lungs are severely infected by the bacteria, the risk of death increases to 50% up to 70%.

Those with acute kidney failure may suffer persistent mild kidney impairment even after full recovery.

Patients who are showing symptoms of brain infection, exhibiting confusion and neurological problems, they have a higher risk of death.

Other factors that may increase the risk of death with Weil’s disease include:

  • Reduced urine output
  • People aging 36 years and above
  • Respiratory failure

Chronic Leptospirosis Syndrome

30% of people affected by the disease may suffer chronic leptospirosis syndrome for up to two years.

This syndrome is characterized by:

  • Weakness
  • Muscle pain
  • Headaches
  • Eye problems
  • Mild anterior uveitis to severe panuveitis

Risk of Weil’s Disease in other animals

When another animal is infected by the disease, they are also at risk of experiencing various pain, abortions, and potentially die from the disease.

How to avoid Weil’s Disease

Prevention is better than cure. Here are a few tips on how you can avoid Weil’s disease or leptospirosis.

  1. Avoid exposing yourself to unclean water
    • If you know the water is not clean, stay away from it.
  2. Cover up open wounds
    • Protect yourself by using bandages and sealing your cuts and wounds
  3. Wash your entire body properly
    • If you have been exposed to unclean water, take a bath immediately.
  4. Use anti bacteria soap
    • Use soap that can kill bacteria. Wash thoroughly.
  5. Use disinfectants
    • Disinfected areas where you have been exposed to the unclean water the most. Clean up your bandages and your wound and replace with new ones.
  6. Clean up your surroundings
    • Maintain a clean environment to keep bacteria away.
  7. Wear proper clothing or protective gear
    • If you are forced to get exposed to possibly contaminated water, use rain protective gear such as boots and rain coats. Use goggles to prevent unclean water from coming into contact with your eyes.
  8. Don’t drink unfiltered water
    • There are a lot of diseases you can pick up by drinking unfiltered water. Even a clear, pure looking water can still carry bacteria.
  9. Call for pest control
    • If there are rodents around your area, find ways to get rid of them. Call for pest control and remove rats that can carry the disease.
  10. Get your pets treated
    • If you suspect that your pet may have contracted the disease, immediately get them treated as to not expose yourself to the disease and to save your animal’s health.

How to treat Weil’s Disease

Treating leptospirosis may different depending on where you are infected. However, most cases of leptospirosis and Weil’s disease are often treated with the help of mild medication and self treatment.

In other words, the disease may go away on its own.

However, if the infection is severe, hospitalization and constant medical assistance may be required to treat the disease.

After all, Weil’s disease is the secondary phase of leptospirosis, meaning, the disease has already become severe.

During this stage, you will continuously receive antibiotics prescribed by your doctor. You must not rely on self medication at this point as only a health professional can treat Weil’s diseaese and help you reach full recovery.

The most common antibiotics that will be given to you are penicillin and doxycycline.

Depending on your symptoms, you may or may not receive additional treatments.

It is all under the discretion of your doctor if you need further medication or other treatments to undergo.

Please visit your doctor to prevent any fatalities.

How to diagnose Weil’s Disease

If you suspect that you or someone you know have contracted the bacteria and developed the disease, here are different ways to get diagnosed with medical help.

  1. Laboratory tests
  2. Serological tests
  3. X-Ray Imaging

Since the bacteria may infect your body in different areas, there are different tests that must be done to properly diagnose the condition.

Immediately seek help from your doctor to treat the condition as soon as possible.

When you do, make sure you tell your doctor the following factors:

  • If you recently traveled
  • If you were exposed to bodies of water or freshwater
  • If you participated in water related activities
  • If you got exposed to floodwater
  • If you have an occupation that may involve working with animals, animal products or dead animals

Related Questions

Is Weil’s disease contagious from human to human?

Yes, Weil’s disease is contagious from human to human but the chance is very low. You can only contract the disease from another person if you are exposed to their urine. Most studies find that is it rather very rare for a human to transmit the disease to someone else.

Can dogs transmit leptospirosis to humans?

Yes, dogs can transmit leptospirosis to humans if the dog is already infected. Though it is possible, it is easy to avoid being infected. Dogs can only transmit the disease if the human makes contact with the dog’s urine or other bodily fluids except saliva.

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