title: Retrospective serosurvey of leptospirosis among patients with acute febrile illness and hepatitis in Egypt.
abstract: The epidemiologic status of leptospirosis in Egypt has not been well defined because of difficulties in disease diagnosis. A retrospective study was conducted to detect leptospiral antibodies among undiagnosed acute febrile illness (AFI) and hepatitis cases. Approximately 16% of both AFI (141/886) and acute hepatitis (63/392) cases showed seroreactivity to Leptospira IgM by ELISA and microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Canicola, Djasiman, Grippotyphosa, Pyrogenes, Icterohemorrhagiae, and Pomona were the most commonly reactive serovars among patients with AFI. Djasiman, Grippotyphosa and Icterohemorrhagiae were the most reactive among patients with acute hepatitis. This study represents the first systematic report of Leptospira associated with patients with AFI and hepatitis in Egypt. Physicians need to have increased awareness about the importance of leptospirosis in the differential diagnosis of AFI and acute hepatitis in Egypt. In addition, laboratory capacity should be developed at fever hospitals to diagnose leptospirosis.
authors.affiliation: US Naval Medical Research Unit 3, Cairo, Egypt. ismailt@namru3.med.navy.mil
authors.forename: Tharwat F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.forename: Momtaz O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Wasfy
authors.forename: Bassem
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Abdul-Rahman
authors.forename: Clinton K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Duane R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Hospenthal
authors.forename: Moustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abdel-Fadeel
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abdel-Maksoud
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Samir
authors.forename: Mahmoud E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Hatem
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klena
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pimentel
authors.forename: Nasr
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: El-Sayed
authors.forename: Rana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hajjeh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies