title: Serological and genetic analysis of leptospirosis in patients with acute febrile illness in kandy, sri lanka.
abstract: Leptospirosis has emerged as an important infectious disease in Sri Lanka and little information is available on circulating leptospiral species and serogroups in this country. Therefore, we studied circulating leptospiral species and serogroups in patients with acute febrile illness using polymerase chain reaction and the microscopic agglutination test, respectively. Anti-leptospiral antibodies were detected in 26 of 107 serum samples studied (24.3%). The predominant reacting serogroups were Sejroe (9/26, 34.6%) and Icterohaemorrhagiae (5/26, 19.2%). Leptospiral DNA was detected in 3 of the 107 serum samples. The deduced leptospiral species were Leptospira interrogans and L. kirschneri (2 and 1 samples, respectively). These results confirm the existence of a wide array of leptospiral species and serogroups in Sri Lanka and would help to thoroughly elucidate the epidemiology of leptospirosis in this country.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan. nkoizumi@nih.go.jp
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koizumi
authors.forename: Chandika D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Gamage
authors.forename: Maki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muto
authors.forename: Senanayake A M
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kularatne
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Budagoda
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Rajapakse
authors.forename: Hidehiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tamashiro
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000372:Agglutination Tests / Q000379:methods; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007919:Leptospira / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012703:Serotyping; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial