Ej. Sanders et al., Increase of leptospirosis in dengue-negative patients after a hurricane inPuerto Rico in 1966, AM J TROP M, 61(3), 1999, pp. 399-404
Citations number
34
Categorie Soggetti
Envirnomentale Medicine & Public Health","Medical Research General Topics
Leptospirosis has rarely been reported in Puerto Rico, although in the peri
od from 1948 to 1952, 208 cases of leptospirosis and an island-wide seropre
valence of antibody to Leptospira of 14% were documented. In Puerto Rico in
October 1996, following rainfall and a period of flooding generated by Hur
ricane Hortense, serum specimens of 4 patients with suspected dengue fever
that were negative for dengue tested positive for Leptospira-specific IgM a
ntibodies in a dipstick assay. Subsequently, we used an island-wide dengue
laboratory-based surveillance system to determine the increase in leptospir
osis after hurricane-generated floods. All anti-dengue IgM-negative patient
s (n = 142) with disease onset from August 8 to October 6, 1996 from prehur
ricane and posthurricane groups were investigated for leptospirosis. Labora
tory-confirmed leptospirosis cases were defined as microscopic agglutinatio
n test titers greater than or equal to 1 : 400 to 1 or more serovars, or po
sitive immunohistochemistry in autopsy tissues. Four (6%) of 72 prehurrican
e and 17 (24%) of 70 posthurricane patients had laboratory-confirmed cases
of leptospirosis (relative risk [RR] = 4.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] =
1.6-12.4). The mean age of case-patients was 34 years (range = 13-64). Eigh
teen (86%) of 21 confirmed case-patients were males, including one patient
who died (31 years old). Patients were located in 18 (38%) of 48 municipali
ties that submitted serum samples. Clinical features significantly associat
ed with leptospirosis were eye pain (RR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.3-1.9), joint pai
n (RR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1. 1-1.6), diarrhea (RR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.2-2.5), and
jaundice (RR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.5-7.2). This study demonstrates the utility
of a dengue laboratory-based surveillance system for the detection of an i
ncrease of leptospirosis, which most likely would have gone unrecognized. L
eptospirosis is treatable with antibacterial agents; knowledge of this diag
nosis may significantly reduce morbidity and mortality.