Open AccessFirst observation of neutrophil extracellular traps in human leptospirosis
Author(s) -
Emilia Scharrig,
Ricardo Drut,
Ricardo Martín Gómez
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
case reports in clinical pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2331-2734
pISSN - 2331-2726
DOI - 10.5430/crcp.v4n4p10
Subject(s) - leptospirosis , neutrophil extracellular traps , fulminant , zoonosis , leptospira , medicine , pathogenesis , extracellular , immunology , pathogen , microbiology and biotechnology , virology , biology , inflammation , genetics
Leptospirosis is the most important global zoonosis and is caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. Human leptospirosis ranges in severity from a mild, self-limited febrile illness to a fulminant life-threatening one but their pathogenesis is still unclear. The extracellular release of the nuclear DNA of neutrophils, called NETs, upon activation by microbes is a pathogen-killing mechanism of neutrophils described in 2004 although its presence in human pathology have been observed only very recently.We report a case of fatal fulminant leptospirosis with associated severe pulmonary involvement and shown for the first time, evidence of the presence of NETs in the lung tissue.