The current treatment modalities for milder cases of leptospirosis rely on antibiotic administration viz penicillin, ampicillin, cefmetazole, oxalactam, ceftizoxime, and cefotaxime.
Whereas, in severe cases, intravenous penicillin G has long been the drug of choice; the patients treated with penicillin for the management of this disease are to be monitored throughout the treatment to prevent the severe threat of potential Jarisch-Herxheimer reactions. In particular, this immune-mediated hypersensitivity reaction may occur within 4-5 h after administration of penicillins. Various kinds of human leptospirosis vaccines have been developed, including inactivated whole-cell, outer-envelope, and recombinant vaccines. Of these, only a multivalent inactivated leptospirosis vaccine (killed vaccine) is available in China, Japan, and Vietnam. However, human vaccines for leptospirosis are serovar-specific and require yearly boosters. So there is a need for the development of novel compounds which have leptospirocidal activity. Notably, drugs for treating leptospirosis are minimum; the present research for the development of novel lead compounds for this pathogen is very limited.
This review aims to summarize the most recent literature on synthetic lead molecules, natural products for its treatment, drug targets, etc., and provide recommendations to researchers who may encounter difficulties in finding details on the subject.
Total Pages: 19-49 (31)
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