Who We Are

About ELS

The European Leptospirosis Society (ELS) was formed in Dubrovnik, Croatia in 2012 in order to promote knowledge on leptospirosis and related haemorrhagic fevers with a multidisciplinary approach through the organisation of regional meetings, networking between European institutions and to facilitate fund raising for research on the subject.

While the Society is primarily intended for members from Europe, Africa and the Middle East, its meetings welcome everyone who is interested in the subject, with participants from all over the world.

Why Europe Needs a Leptospirosis Society

Leptospirosis connects human and animal health with the environments they share. Understanding and addressing it in Europe calls for collaboration among researchers, clinicians, veterinarians, and environmental specialists. Several studies show that leptospirosis is on the rise in Europe, and climate projections suggest that cases are likely to increase, particularly as a result of milder winters and heavy rainfall. The scientific challenges are significant: the pathogen’s complex ecology and transmission pathways, rising reported human cases, and difficulties in rodent management. Detecting the disease is complicated by inconsistent surveillance and diagnosis, and prevention is limited by vaccine options and effectiveness, resistance to rodenticides, societal demand for humane rodent control, and insufficient coordination across the sectors responsible for human, animal, and environmental health.

Worldwide, an estimated one million people fall ill and roughly 60,000 die from leptospirosis each year — figures likely underestimating the true burden because symptoms often resemble other illnesses and diagnosis remains challenging. The disease also affects livestock production, causing reproductive losses and reduced milk yield. Meeting this interconnected challenge calls for many fields working together. A European Leptospirosis Society can bring together researchers, human and animal health professionals, and environmental specialists to strengthen surveillance, advance research, share knowledge, and improve prevention through a One Health approach.

Haemorrhagic Illnesses: Why Diagnosis Matters

Haemorrhagic manifestations are not exclusive to viral infections. Although viral haemorrhagic fevers are caused by several distinct groups of viruses, bacterial zoonoses such as leptospirosis can also cause severe febrile illness accompanied by bleeding, including life-threatening pulmonary haemorrhage. Rodent-borne infections, such as hantavirus-associated diseases and Lassa fever, may share overlapping clinical features with leptospirosis, highlighting the importance of accurate and timely differential diagnosis. Recognising the similarities and differences in clinical presentation, epidemiology, and transmission is essential for improving early diagnosis, clinical management, surveillance, and prevention.