THE INCIDENCE OF SEVERE LEPTOSPIROSIS IN TRINIDAD

  • 1 April 1987
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 39  (2) , 126-132
Abstract
Between February 1977 and September 1982, sera from febrile patients from all areas of Trinidad were examined for leptospiral agglutinins; 158 of 1714 patients (9%) were confirmed as current cases of leptospirosis (annual average 26 or 2.6 per 100,000 population). Of the remaining 1556 patients only 71 provided paired sera; 167 of these (23%) showed evidence of previous lepsopiral infection. Of the 845 single samples, 125 were positive. The true incidence of the disease is probably much higher than reported here. Males comprised 74% of the current cases; their highest rate of infection was in the 30-39 year age group, the incidence in late teenage approaching this rate. For females, incidence increased with age up to late middle-age. The presumptive infecting serogroups most commonly recorded among the 158 current cases were Icterohaemorrhagiae (37%), Canicola (16%) and Autumnalis (11%). 13 cases of the cases died (case fatality rate, 8.2%).

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