Abstract
Background & Objectives: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease worldwide that has emerged as an important cause of morbidity and mortality among impoverished populations. It is a global condition that is found across the world. Rates of leptospirosis are highest in tropical and sub-tropical locations, particularly in rural areas. This study was done to determine the prevalence of leptospirosis infection at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram and to determine the month to month variation. The seroprevalence data are useful to assist preventive strategies. Study was conducted in Government Medical College, Trivandrum during the period March to August of 2015.
Method: 252 Sera from patients were subjected to IgM Leptospira ELISA test. A total of 13 seropositive samples were analyzed by PCR.11 positive samples having higher OD values in IgM ELISA were sent to REGIONAL MEDICAL RESEARCH CENTRE for performing Microscopic Agglutination Test ( MAT).
Results: 24 among 252 samples were found to be positive serologically by IgM ELISA. Maximum of 9 leptospirosis cases were found during May. PCR was positive for 3 samples. 7 samples gave positive results in MAT and 2 of them were found to be serovar Lai.
Interpretation & Conclusions: The overall seropositivity of leptospirosis was 9.52% with maximum cases during the month of May. Since leptospirosis is a treatable disease, correct and rapid diagnosis may help in effective management of patients.
Keywords: Leptospirosis, Seroprevalence, MAT, IgM ELISA, PCR.
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DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v5i1.128
