An advanced degree (master's or Ph.D.) is required to work in the field and epidemiologists may choose to specialize in any number of areas (
e.g. occupational disease, reproductive health, environmental hazards).
Concurrently, the zoonotic profile of leptospirosis has shifted from an
occupational hazard affecting mainly meat - production workers & veterinary personnel to a
disease associated with recreational exposure to contaminated water & soil,
e.g. boating, fishing, etc..