Volume 8, Issue 3 (7-2020)                   JoMMID 2020, 8(3): 98-103 | Back to browse issues page


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Department of Parasitology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract:   (1910 Views)
Introduction: Leptospirosis is a significant public health problem in the Caspian littoral of Iran comprising Gilan, Mazandaran, and Golestan provinces.  In Golestan province, serology assays indicated anti-Leptospira antibodies in animals and humans; however, no reliable record of infections in patients with signs and symptoms of the disease is available. Methods: We employed the indirect immunofluorescent antibody assay (IFA), and two PCR assays, a real-time PCR (qPCR) and a nested-PCR targeting 16S rDNA (rrs) sequence for diagnosis of leptospirosis in febrile patients in Golestan province. Results: Out of 52 febrile patients, 25 (48.07%) had antibody titers ≥1/80 by IFA, and were defined as positive. In 7, 9, and 7 individuals, the antibody titers were 1/40, 1/20, and 1/10, respectively, and 4 had no antibodies. The qPCR and nested PCR detected leptospiral DNA in 55.75% and 67.3% of the patients' sera, respectively. The two PCR assays had a Kappa agreement of 0.53 (P< 0.0001), suggesting a moderate agreement, and showed a significant reverse association with the IFA titers (P<0.05). Conclusion: Our results suggest that higher antibody titers accompanied the spirochete's removal from blood by the patient's immune response. Hence, a reliable diagnosis of Leptospira infection necessitates deploying a DNA-based method alongside serology.
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Type of Study: Original article | Subject: Diagnostic/screening methods and protocols
Received: 2020/08/28 | Accepted: 2020/07/20 | Published: 2020/12/26

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