Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
excerpt
In this study among "patients with a fever", 6,5% had murine typhus, 10% had leptospirosis.
The study was based in Semarang, a large harbor city in central Java.
Severe leptospirosis patients often develop pneumonia, according to this study at Dr. Sardjito Hospital, Yogyakarta.
June, 2009
Murine Typhus and Leptospirosis as Causes of Acute Undifferentiated Fever, Indonesia
Abstract
To investigate rickettsioses and leptospirosis among urban residents of Semarang, Indonesia, we tested the blood of 137 patients with fever.
Evidence of Rickettsia typhi, the agent of murine typhus, was found in 9 patients. Another 9 patients showed inconclusive serologic results. Thirteen patients received a diagnosis of leptospirosis. No dual infections were detected.
- snip -
Fever is one of the main reasons for seeking medical attention in Indonesia. The cause of fever usually remains obscure because of limited laboratory diagnostic facilities and expertise in performing laboratory confirmation.
Favorable environmental conditions mean that both rickettsiosis and leptospirosis are considered endemic in Indonesia and may result in clinically indistinguishable cases of acute undifferentiated fever (AUF).
Serosurveys conducted on Java, Sumatra, and islands in eastern Indonesia identified antibodies to Rickettsia typhi (murine typhus), to Orientia tsutsugamushi (scrub typhus), and to members of the spotted fever group rickettsia (SFGR) in healthy persons (1–3). In addition, several investigations reported leptospirosis as cause of AUF in Indonesia (4,5).
- snip -
Because of nonspecific clinical features, both diseases are difficult to diagnose on clinical grounds only. Misdiagnosis can lead to aberrant use of antimicrobial drugs and other pharmaceuticals. Therefore, rapid, cheap, and reliable diagnostic tests are needed to support clinical decision making.
Full article
In this study among "patients with a fever", 6,5% had murine typhus, 10% had leptospirosis.
The study was based in Semarang, a large harbor city in central Java.
Severe leptospirosis patients often develop pneumonia, according to this study at Dr. Sardjito Hospital, Yogyakarta.
June, 2009
Murine Typhus and Leptospirosis as Causes of Acute Undifferentiated Fever, Indonesia
Abstract
To investigate rickettsioses and leptospirosis among urban residents of Semarang, Indonesia, we tested the blood of 137 patients with fever.
Evidence of Rickettsia typhi, the agent of murine typhus, was found in 9 patients. Another 9 patients showed inconclusive serologic results. Thirteen patients received a diagnosis of leptospirosis. No dual infections were detected.
- snip -
Fever is one of the main reasons for seeking medical attention in Indonesia. The cause of fever usually remains obscure because of limited laboratory diagnostic facilities and expertise in performing laboratory confirmation.
Favorable environmental conditions mean that both rickettsiosis and leptospirosis are considered endemic in Indonesia and may result in clinically indistinguishable cases of acute undifferentiated fever (AUF).
Serosurveys conducted on Java, Sumatra, and islands in eastern Indonesia identified antibodies to Rickettsia typhi (murine typhus), to Orientia tsutsugamushi (scrub typhus), and to members of the spotted fever group rickettsia (SFGR) in healthy persons (1–3). In addition, several investigations reported leptospirosis as cause of AUF in Indonesia (4,5).
- snip -
Because of nonspecific clinical features, both diseases are difficult to diagnose on clinical grounds only. Misdiagnosis can lead to aberrant use of antimicrobial drugs and other pharmaceuticals. Therefore, rapid, cheap, and reliable diagnostic tests are needed to support clinical decision making.
Full article