Leptospirosis among hospitalized febrile patients in northern Tanzania.
Abstract
We enrolled consecutive febrile admissions to two hospitals in Moshi, Tanzania. Confirmed
leptospirosis was defined as a ≥ 4-fold increase in microscopic agglutination test
(MAT) titer; probable leptospirosis as reciprocal MAT titer ≥ 800; and exposure to
pathogenic leptospires as titer ≥ 100. Among 870 patients enrolled in the study, 453
(52.1%) had paired sera available, and 40 (8.8%) of these met the definition for confirmed
leptospirosis. Of 832 patients with ≥ 1 serum sample available, 30 (3.6%) had probable
leptospirosis and an additional 277 (33.3%) had evidence of exposure to pathogenic
leptospires. Among those with leptospirosis the most common clinical diagnoses were
malaria in 31 (44.3%) and pneumonia in 18 (25.7%). Leptospirosis was associated with
living in a rural area (odds ratio [OR] 3.4, P < 0.001). Among those with confirmed
leptospirosis, the predominant reactive serogroups were Mini and Australis. Leptospirosis
is a major yet underdiagnosed cause of febrile illness in northern Tanzania, where
it appears to be endemic.
Type
Journal articleSubject
AdolescentAdult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Child
Child, Preschool
Endemic Diseases
Female
Fever
Humans
Infant
Inpatients
Leptospirosis
Male
Middle Aged
Tanzania
Young Adult
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/6334Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.4269/ajtmh.2011.11-0176Publication Info
Bartlett, John A; Biggs, HM; Bui, DM; Crump, John Andrew; Galloway, RL; Kinabo, GD;
... Stoddard, RA (2011). Leptospirosis among hospitalized febrile patients in northern Tanzania. Am J Trop Med Hyg, 85(2). pp. 275-281. 10.4269/ajtmh.2011.11-0176. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/6334.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
John Andrew Crump
Adjunct Professor in the Department of Medicine
I am based in northern Tanzania where I am Site Leader for Duke University’s
collaborative research program based at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre and Director
of Tanzania Operations for the Duke Global Health Institute. I oversee the design
and implementation of research studies on infectious diseases, particularly febrile
illness, invasive bacterial disease, HIV-associated opportunistic infections, clinical
trials of antiretroviral therapy and prevention of mother-to-child tr

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