Seroprevalence of acute leptospirosis in a tertiary care hospital in western India

Abstract

Dear Editor, We stumbled upon an engaging research paper published in Volume 9, Issue 4 of the MGM Journal of Medical Sciences, spanning pages 517-21, October to December 2022. Within this study, Bavejaet al.[1] utilized both serology and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. The seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. was 19.78% in a cohort of Indian patients. The diagnosis of leptospirosis usually depends on serology and molecular detection. The serology often takes many days before the result becomes positive after the start of the illness. In addition, the serology necessitates skilled handling and maintaining live Leptospira cells representing all serogroups.[2] The molecular diagnostic techniques, including real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), are faster and more sensitive to firm the diagnosis and could also detect the infection before the appearance of antibodies. On targeting the lip L32 gene, PCR could detect Leptospira deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in various clinical samples.[3] We believe that if Baveja et al.[1] used PCR in the study methodology rather than ELISA, a more accurate estimate of the leptospirosis seroprevalence might be generated. Despite that limitation, the reported substantial leptospirosis seroprevalence (19.78%),[1] which is nearly comparable to 26.6% recently reported by Shukla et al.,[4] urges the need to implement strict public health interventions to combat that harmful zoonotic infection in India. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.