Seroprevalence of Leptospirosis among Febrile PatientsA Hospital Based Study

Leptospirosis is one of the most widespread and globally important zoonotic diseases. In India, it is emerged as an important cause of febrile illness with seasonal and geographical variation and affects humans on all continents, in both urban and rural area and in tropical and temperate climates. Most outbreaks of leptospirosis are reported in coastal regions. Leptospirosis has been recognized as an occupational disease. It is a frequent cause of undifferentiated febrile illness in developing countries. In order to understand the clinical spectrum, risk factors associated with leptospirosis and its prevalence, a retrospective hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in patients admitted with acute febrile illness in Govt. Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram over the last 1 year. Serum samples were screened for leptospirosis by IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (IgM ELISA). About 1924 patients who presented with an acute febrile illness in the year 2014 were screened for leptospirosis. Of these 220(11.4%) patients, were positive for Leptospira by SD-IgM ELISA. The overall seroprevalence of leptospirosis was 11.4%. Males were affected more than females in this study. The main age group affected was 41-50 years. There were antigenic cross reaction with IgM Dengue for 7 cases and IgM scrub typhus for 12 cases. This study revealed a high seroprevalence of leptospirosis among febrile cases, indicating the importance of doing leptospirosis investigation of febrile illness.