Leptospirosis: Experience at a tertiary care hospital in northern India.

ABSTRACT

Background. Leptospirosis is primarily a disease of wild and domestic mammals. Man is infected either directly through contact with an infected animal or indirectly by water or soil contaminated with the urine of an infected animal. We studied the incidence of leptospirosis in patients presenting with an acute febrile illness of more than 7 days to a tertiary care hospital in northern India. Methods. This study was done over a period of 1 year and included 647 patients who presented with an acute febrile illness for more than 7 days. These patients were screened for leptospirosis using the Dri-Dot test and ELISA. Results. Using the Dri-Dot screening test, 244 of 647 patients (37.7%) were positive for leptospirosis. Of these 244 patients, 200 (82%) were positive by ELISA. Conclusion. Leptospirosis is common in northern India and should be considered as a possible differential diagnosis in patients with an acute febrile illness of more than 7 days’ duration.