A rarely seen bacterial illness usually spread by rodents, and other animals in agricultural areas has surfaced in Ventura County, infecting some agricultural workers.
"It's called Leptospirosis, and it is a bacteria that is usually seen in more tropical environments. It's a bacteria that infects animals, specifically small animals like rodents, raccoons, dogs, and sometimes cats" said Dr. Uldine Castel, who is Ventura County’s Interim Public Health Officer.
"It's passed through their urine, and then it contaminates water or soil, and that is how it is commonly passed on to a human being."
She said the theory is that the illness was spread to farmworkers who came in contact with soil, or water contaminated by the urine of infected animals. It can’t be spread person to person. It does have the potential to cause serious health issues.
Ventura County Public Health, and State Public Health investigators are trying to get a fix on how many people have been infected in the county. For now, they are just saying several.
"We're not talking about the actual numbers because we're still kind of fluid at this point in time, so we can't say specifically. There's a small group of confirmed cases, and we're looking at a larger group of presumptive cases," said the health official.
But, she said it's the most cases that have ever been seen in Ventura County, or in any county in the state.
Dr. Castel said they think there’s a link to some specific crops. "It has really been identified in people who work in caneberries. Those are the berries that are grown under hoops, so not strawberry fields. Those (caneberry) fields that are scattered throughout the county, that's where we have identified people who were either confirmed or are presumptive cases."
How can someone be infected? "It infects people through interruptions in the skin, so if you have a cut, a small cut on your finger, and you are working with water, or soil that has the bacteria, that's how it enters a body," said the doctor.
If caught early, Leptospirosis is treatable with antibiotics. Those infected can have mild flu-like symptoms. But, it can progress to more severe issues affecting the liver, kidneys, the respiratory system and the brain.
The doctor says there were two documented cases in Ventura County 2023, and before that, one in 2015. She said it really is rare to see the bacterial infection in our area.
County and state teams are still relatively early in the investigation.
Health officials said protecting against Leptospirosis means covering any open wounds with waterproof bandaging. Workers should also use protection like boots, gloves, and long sleeve shirts. And, one of the most basic things is washing hands, arms, and exposed skin with soap and water after working in agricultural fields.
They said there is no known danger to the general public through contact, or consumption of berries grown under hoops.
