Clinical profile of leptospirosis and role of various diagnostic methods, a hospital based prospective observational study

Abstract

Objectives: Leptospirosis is a potentially life-threatening zoonotic disease of worldwide distribution. Accurate diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential to minimize morbidity and mortality. The current study was conducted to analyse the clinical profile of leptospirosis and the diagnostic yield of various diagnostic methods. Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study. A total of 60 patients who were suspected of leptospirosis were enrolled in the study. Direct examination of blood was done using dark-ground microscopy, the culture was done by inoculation of the blood sample into the EMJH medium, antibodies against Leptospira was demonstrated using Panbio IgM ELISA kit, and antigen products were demonstrated using polymerase reaction (PCR) with primers G1and G2. Results: The study population included 63% of males and 37% females. A majority of 38% of the study subjects were farmers. Pallor and icterus are the predominant clinical signs found among 96% of the study population. IgM ELISA has labelled the highest number i.e. 55 (91.66%) of subjects as positive. The number of subjects diagnosed positive by PCR, culture and Dark ground microscopy (DGM) were 33 (55.00%), 22 (36.66%) and 12 (20%) subjects respectively. Conclusion: Leptospirosis proves to be an important health concern. Prominent clinical conditions were observed. IgM-ELISA proved superior to Dark ground microscopy (DGM), Culture and Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and suitable for early diagnosis of leptospirosis.