Seroprevalence of Leptospirosis in North of Iran During 2010

Leptospirosis is a globally important zoonotic disease, most commonly founded in tropical or sub-tropical countries. Leptospirosis is an acute febrile illness caused by pathogenic members of the genus Leptospira. The present study was done to evaluate the prevalence and other variables related to Leptospirosis in Mazandaran province (north of Iran) during 2010. Blood samples were collected from all suspected cases to measure anti-leptospira antibody by Immuno-Fluorescence Antibody (IFA) method (manufactured by Pasteur Institute, Iran). During this period, incidence in men was 27.29 % and in women was 28 %. Regarding location of residence, 135(71.42%) were in rural areas and 54 (28.58%) were in urban areas. Recent studies on Leptospirosis showed that the disease was highly endemic in the animal population. It is considered that the majority of leptospirosis cases in man were due to association of man with animals and disease-infected environment.