A NEW POSSIBILITY FOR SURVEILLANCE: DO WE IDENTIFY ALL CASES OF LEPTOSPIROSIS?

Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo

Raissa Matos Fontes¹  Luciano Pamplona De Góes Cavalcanti¹  Augusto César Aragão Oliveira¹  Laiane Fernanda De Melo Bezerra¹  Almira Maria Monteiro Gomes¹  Jeová Keny Baima Colares¹  Danielle Malta Lima¹ 

关键词: Leptospirosis;    Dengue;    Estimation techniques;    Epidemiological surveillance;    Sentinel surveillance;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0036-46652015000500014

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

SUMMARY Leptospirosis is a febrile disease with a typically underestimated global incidence, especially in regions where dengue is endemic. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately determine the number of leptospirosis cases in these areas, which contributes to significant under-reporting this disease. In this study, we estimated the number of possible leptospirosis cases among dengue-like cases that were reported during 2008, 2010, and 2012 in the city of Fortaleza, northeast Brazil. Patients were evaluated for dengue and leptospirosis using immunoenzymatic tests for IgM antibodies that were specific to each pathogen. Among the suspected cases of dengue that resulted as negative in laboratory tests, 10.8% (2008), 19.2% (2010), and 30.8% (2012) were confirmed to be leptospirosis. Considering the cases reported by the surveillance authority as dengue that were subsequently discarded based on the laboratory test results, we estimate that the number of actual leptospirosis cases may be 26 to 49 times higher than those diagnosed and reported by the Health Services. Furthermore, we believe that approximately 20% of dengue-like cases may be leptospirosis cases in areas where the two diseases are endemic.

【 授权许可】

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