CLINICAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGIC-STUDY OF LEPTO SPIROSIS IN ADULTS IN THE PROVINCE OF CIEGO DE AVILA, CUBA

A clinical epidemiological study of reported leptospirosis cases in ad ults in the period 1984-1988 in the province Ciego de Avila, Republic of Cuba, was conducted. The most frequent symptoms and signs were: fev er, headache and arthralgia. Eighty-two percent of patient were anicte ric. The most frequent presumptive diagnosis included leptospirosis, v irosis, and febrile syndrome. Sporadic cases predominated over cluster cases. The incidence of cases was higher from October to December. Si xty-five percent of patients were 36 years old or less. The serogroups detected more frequently were Leptospira interrogans var. Australia a nd Leptospira interrogans var Pomona. The high range of diagnostic and presumptive approaches with cases show that most cases would go undet ected if an active surveillance is not implemented.