Leptospirosis: possibilities of early laboratory and clinical diagnosis

• Authors: Zuzana Cermakova , Petra Kucerova , Zbynek Valenta , Lenka Pliskova , Radka Bolehovska , Petr Prasil , Vladimir Buchta , Josef Scharfen , Pavel Polak , Ota Pavlis , Barbora Voxova
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This retrospective study aims to identify and describe the problems associated with the laboratory and clinical diagnosis of leptospirosis. A total of 4,813 patients with suspected leptospirosis from an area of the Czech Republic, with a total population of 1.15 million, were examined during the period 2002–2010. Our study included only 855 patients: 545 men (mean age 41.03 ± 19.24) and 310 women (mean age 41.47 ± 20.3) who were examined using microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All patients and their physicians filled in questionnaires, which included anamnestic data, clinical symptoms and the results of laboratory tests. Out of total suspected, 89 patients (1.85%), tested positive for leptospirosis, of which 50 have been examined only serologically by MAT. Of 855 patients in our study undergoing both PCR and MAT tests, 39 have tested positive for leptospirosis. The most frequent symptom in patients with leptospirosis included fever (91.6%) and headache (69.4%). The correct laboratory diagnosis of leptospirosis depends on biological material being tested before the start of antibiotic treatment, since leptospires are extremely sensitive to antibiotics. Consequently, the PCR results alone may produce a false negative result after 24 hours following treatment with antibiotics.

Keywords

EN

Leptospirosis; Early diagnosis; PCR and MAT; Clinical symptoms

• Publisher: De Gruyter Open
• Journal: Open Medicine
• Year: 2013
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 84-89

Dates

published

1 - 2 - 2013

online

8 - 12 - 2012

Contributors

author

Zuzana Cermakova

author

Petra Kucerova

author

Zbynek Valenta

author

Lenka Pliskova

• Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Diagnostics, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove and University Hospital in Hradec Kralove, Sokolska 581, 500 05, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

author

Radka Bolehovska

• Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Diagnostics, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove and University Hospital in Hradec Kralove, Sokolska 581, 500 05, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

author

Petr Prasil

• Department of Infectious Diseases, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove and University Hospital in Hradec Kralove, Sokolska 581, 500 05, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

author

Vladimir Buchta

• Department of Clinical Microbiology, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove and University Hospital in Hradec Kralove, Sokolska 581, 500 05, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

author

Josef Scharfen

• Department of Clinical Microbiology, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove and University Hospital in Hradec Kralove, Sokolska 581, 500 05, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

author

Pavel Polak

• Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Jihlavska 20, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic

author

Ota Pavlis

author

Barbora Voxova

• Department of Clinical Microbiology, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove and University Hospital in Hradec Kralove, Sokolska 581, 500 05, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/s11536-012-0110-0