Seroprevalence of leptospirosis in high risk groups in Calicut, North Kerala, India.

the reservoir hosts and the environment. Leptospirosis is Occupation No. of Males Females primarily an occupational disease, but a contaminated participants environment makes any person vulnerable to infection. Agricultural workers 100 65 35 Fishermen and fisher folk 125 46 79 Calicut is an endemic area for leptospirosis. Clinical cases Hospital sanitary workers of leptospirosis have been recorded from the late 1980s in this Sewage workers geographical area and have steadily increased over the past Laboratory staff decade. The disease typically occurs as an epidemic lasting a Veterinarians few weeks during the monsoon season. Close interaction of Construction workers humans, animals, soil and water in this region makes the Healthy controls spread of leptospirosis to humans easy. Certain groups of Total humans in a population are more likely to be exposed to the leptospiral infection as a result of either occupational or immunosorbent assay (ELISA). IgM antibodies were detected recreational activities. Since there are a large number of using a commercially available PanBio Leptospira IgM ELISA potential sources of infection and many different opportunities kit and IgG antibodies were detected using IVD Leptospira for transmission, risk groups may differ from one area to Microwell ELISA kit. Microscopic agglutination test (MAT) another. The major risk groups identified include agricultural was performed on 200 sera samples. The study group workers, veterinarians, fishermen, workers in animal farms and consisted of agricultural workers (35), fishermen and fisher folk poultry, butchers, conservancy staff, laboratory staff, (43), hospital sanitary workers (37), sewage workers (35), construction workers, miners, soldiers, children, housewives laboratory staff (15), veterinarians (12), construction workers and also those who participate in leisure and recreational (10) and healthy controls (13). MAT titer of 1:100 was taken as positive. Sixteen serovars were used which included Australis, Autumnalis, Ballum, Bataviae, Cynopteri, Canicola, Materials and Methods Djasiman, Grippotyphosa, A cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pomona, Sarmin, Shermani, Tarassovi of Microbiology, Medical College, Calicut, during the year and Patoc. The leptospiral strains were obtained from Defence 2005 to assess the seroprevalence of leptospirosis among Research and Development Establishment (DRDE), Gwalior. various high-risk groups in Calicut. Five hundred and eighty Results and Discussion people belonging to different occupational groups participated in the study. Fifty people who belonged to low The epidemiology of leptospirosis is dynamic. New risk risk groups (students and blood donors) were also taken as groups may be formed as a result of changes in agricultural healthy controls. Occupation and sex-wise distribution of the or social practices or in the reservoir animal population in the 121 32 89 149 100 49 30 13 17 30 26 4 25 24 1 50 43 7 630 349 281