ISSN : 2663-2187

TO STUDY THE SEROPREVALENCE OF LEPTOSPIRA INFECTION AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

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Divya Choudhary, Manisha Khandait, Ashima Singh, Rituparna Saha
ยป doi: 10.48047/AFJBS.6.13.2024.4959-4971

Abstract

Background Leptospirosis, caused by spirochete bacteria Leptospira is an emerging zoonotic disease which commonly occurs through abraded skin and mucosal membranes due to contact with urine of infected animals. Leptospira have non-specific symptoms similar to those of dengue, typhoid, malaria and influenza and show co-infection with similar diseases. There are fewer cases of Leptospira infection in North India, possibly due to lack of knowledge and limited resource. Our study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Leptospira and its co-infections in Haryana region. Methods It is an observational study over 6 months from May 2023 to October 2023 in a tertiary care hospital in Haryana, India. During a six-months period, 259 blood samples from febrile patients were tested for Leptospira IgM antibodies with the Eiger Leptospira IgM ELISA kit for fever diagnosis. Results Out of total 259 specimens, 78 were tested positive for Leptospirosis. The seroprevalence was found 30% (78/259). There were more males affected by leptospirosis than females. 65% (51/78) were males and 35% (27/78) were females. The most affected age group was 20-30 years (29.7%). It was observed that LFT and KFT parameters are elevated, specially SGOT, SGPT, and Creatnine. Increased levels of SGOT, SGPT and decreased levels of Creatinine with average values of 106.91, 102.40, and 0.77 respectively. Co-infections was observed with Dengue in 10 (3.86%) of cases and 15 (5.79%) of co-infection with Typhoid. Conclusion In our study we found that some severe cases of leptospirosis were associated with coinfections with dengue, typhoid, and other infections. Ignoring it poses a risk since it can lead to several potentially fatal conditions, including kidney failure, liver failure, meningitis, hepatitis B, and multiple organ failure. Thus, we need to use caution when diagnosing and treating its symptoms.

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