We report a case of a 48-year-old man from western Austria with severe leptospirosis. This disease occurs worldwide but predominates in the tropics. The infectious urine of a wide variety of domestic and wild animals mediates transmission of the infection, which characteristically has a biphasic pattern. It begins with the "leptospiraemic phase" with high fever, conjunctival suffusion, muscle pain and headache. Hepatitis, nephritis and haemorrhages may follow. The second "immune phase" has a greater variety of clinical manifestations. Fever and the initial symptoms may recur and the central and peripheral nervous system may be involved. The patient reported showed all major characteristics except conjunctival suffusion. The outcome was favourable despite some conditions with a poor prognosis (jaundice, renal failure, haemorrhages). The extreme severity of jaundice and the xanthopsia (yellow vision) make the case unique.