Ex Vivo Study of Leukocyte Responses in the Blood of Patients With Leptospirosis and ex Vivo Testing of a New Host-targeted Therapeutic Strategy to Restore Phagocytosis of Leptospira (NEUTROLEPTO-NC)

Leptospirosis is a neglected zoonosis caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus *Leptospira*, occurring mainly in humid tropical and subtropical regions. With over one million cases and ~60,000 deaths annually, it is among the most dangerous bacterial zoonoses worldwide. Its nonspecific onset-fever, headache, myalgia-mimics influenza, dengue, and other acute febrile illnesses, making diagnosis difficult. Delayed antibiotic treatment can lead to severe forms (in ~10% of cases) characterized by hemorrhage and multi-organ failure. In 2023, New Caledonia reported 152 cases, with 85% hospitalized and a 2.6% mortality rate.

This study aims to characterize the human host response and improve patient management. *Leptospira* evades innate immunity, triggering a strong anti-inflammatory IL-10 response and potentially ineffective phagocytosis. However, the WHO-recommended β-lactam antibiotics induce a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction (JHR)-an acute inflammatory response occurring within hours of treatment-in over 50% of patients (LEPJAR study, PMID:40986630), the impact of which on phagocytosis is unknown.The NEUTROLEPTO study will be conducted in New Caledonia (NC) in patients with or without leptospirosis. Clinical and biological data will be collected at the time of suspected infection and 3 hours after antibiotic administration. Specifically, immune responses will be assessed through cytokine profiling and blood cell phenotyping, as well as by transcriptome analysis of infected patients before and after antibiotic treatment.