Preliminary survey of leptospirosis amongst febrile patients from urban slums of East Delhi.

AIM To determine the possibility of leptospirosis among patients from urban slums presenting with febrile illness during monsoon and post-monsoon season. METHODS Evidence of leptospirosis in 180 patients with febrile illness was determined by looking for presence of immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies by leptospiral IgM enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The test was carried out on 160 Widal test negative and 20 Widal test positive sera received from febrile patients during June to September 2001. RESULTS Twenty-seven out of 180 (15%) sera were positive for leptospiral IgM antibodies. CONCLUSIONS This preliminary survey indicates that leptospirosis could be an important cause of febrile illness in patients from urban slums during monsoon and post-monsoon season.