Prevalence of dengue and leptospirosis co-infection in a tertiary care hospital in south India

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Dengue and Leptospirosis were often discussed separately with rash being more common in dengue and jaundice in leptospirosis. But with increasing reports of co-infection, the situation has become worse. The main objective of this study was to look for the presence of both Dengue and Leptospira IgM antibodies in serum samples of patients, presenting with acute febrile illness. Medical records of the co-infected patients were examined to analyse the clinical features and laboratory findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum samples of patients presenting with acute febrile illness were screened for the presence of Dengue IgM antibodies and Leptospira antibodies. Clinical features and laboratory parameters of patients with co-infection were compared with patients having dengue alone. Rainfall data was obtained to look for an association between rainfall and Dengue, leptospirosis and co-infected cases. RESULTS: Co-infection was seen in 33 (3.4%) samples. There was a statistically significant association between clinical features like rashes, bleeding gums and co-infection. There was a statistically significant association between various laboratory parameters like thrombocytopenia and co-infection. There was positive correlation between rainfall and development of dengue, leptospirosis, and co-infection but it was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of co-infection was 3.4%. This study re-emphasizes the fact that dengue and leptospirosis are widely prevalent in south India and clinicians should be aware that co-infection with dengue and leptospirosis is not uncommon.