Leptospirosis meningitis transmission from a pet mouse: a case report

BACKGROUND: Leptospirosis is a reemerging zoonosis with a worldwide distribution and a wide range of clinical manifestations. We report a case of leptospirosis meningitis in a previously healthy woman infected by her pet mouse. CASE PRESENTATION: A 27-year-old Caucasian woman with pet mice presented to our institute with a 1 week history of fever, headache, myalgia, vomiting, diarrhea, and dark urine. Her admission examination revealed neck stiffness, conjunctivitis, and icteric sclera. Her liver enzymes, bilirubin, white blood cell count, and C-reactive protein were elevated. Her cerebrospinal fluid showed an elevated white blood cell count. Polymerase chain reactions using her cerebrospinal fluid, blood, and urine showed negative results for leptospirosis, but the result of her microagglutination test was positive for Leptospira interrogans serovar sejroe with a more than threefold increase in paired sera. The patient was treated with ceftriaxone for 1 week, and her condition steadily improved. CONCLUSIONS: This case report raises awareness of pet rodents as sources of leptospirosis. Leptospirosis meningitis should be considered in patients with meningeal symptoms and pet rodents.