PP21 - Demographic and Clinical Features of Leptospirosis Among Febrile Patients Admitted to the District General Hospital, Kilinochchi

Abstract

Introduction

Leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease caused by spirochetes, remains a significant public health concern in developing countries, presenting with a wide spectrum of symptoms ranging from mild illness to severe, life-threatening complications.

Objectives

This study aimed to detect anti-Leptospira IgM using an ELISA kit and describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of leptospirosis among clinically suspected patients admitted to the District General Hospital, Kilinochchi.  

Design, Setting, and Methods

A hospital- and laboratory-based descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted from July to September 2022 among clinically suspected leptospirosis patients admitted to the District General Hospital, Kilinochchi. Blood samples (3 mL) were collected, and demographic, clinical, and risk factors were obtained using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Jaffna. Serum samples were tested for anti-Leptospira IgM using an ELISA kit (Abbexa, UK).

Results

A total of 66 patients with suspected leptospirosis were recruited, predominantly males (80.3%; n = 53), with the highest representation in the 26–35 (25.8%; n = 17) and 36–45 (21.2%; n = 14) year age groups. Among them, 11 (16.7%) tested positive for anti-Leptospira IgM by ELISA, including eight males (72.7%). All seropositive cases were from rural areas, had a history of animal contact, and responded to doxycycline. Fever and headache were present in all cases (100%; n = 11), followed by myalgia (90.9%; n = 10), jaundice (45.5%; n = 5), conjunctival suffusion (45.5%; n = 5), and shaking chills (36.4%; n = 4). Only 66.7% (n = 44) had a fever lasting 5 days or longer.

Conclusions

IgM ELISA detected leptospirosis only in 16.7% of clinically suspected cases. Limitations of this study include the fact that the gold standard, MAT, was not performed to confirm the suspected cases, and the low sensitivity of IgM ELISA for detecting leptospira, which varies depending on the serovars included in the ELISA kit.