ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2021
Leptospirosis as a cause of fever associated with jaundice in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Leptospirosis in humans and selected animals in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2014-2022: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2023Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of the epidemiology of Leptospirosis in HIV uninfected and in people living with HIV from the Southern African Development Community.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2022Pooled it
- Addressing the burden of leptospirosis in Africa.Tropical diseases, travel medicine and vaccines · 2025Review
- Revealing viral hepatitis epidemiology in the Democratic Republic of Congo: insights from yellow fever surveillance reanalysis.Tropical medicine and health · 2025Article
- Leptospirosis-Improving Healthcare Outcomes for a Neglected Tropical Disease.Open forum infectious diseases · 2025Review
- Management Strategies for Common Animal Bites in Pediatrics: A Narrative Review on the Latest Progress.Microorganisms · 2024Review
- Leptospirosis Cases among Outpatients with Non-Malaria Fever Attending Primary Care Clinics during the Rainy Season in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2024Article
- Demographic and clinical risk factors associated with severity of lab-confirmed human leptospirosis in Colombia, 2015-2020.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Article
- Clinico Epidemiological Study of Human Leptospirosis in Hilly Area of South India-A Population Based Case Control Study.Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social MedicineArticle
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFever with jaundice is a common symptom of some infectious diseases. In public health surveillance within the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), yellow fever is the only recognized cause of fever with jaundice. However, only 5% of the surveillance cases are positive for yellow fever and thus indicate the involvement of other pathogens. Leptospira spp. are the causative agents of leptospirosis, a widespread bacterial zoonosis, a known cause of fever with jaundice. This study aimed to determine the seropositivity of anti-Leptospira antibodies among suspected yellow fever cases and map the geographical distribution of possible leptospirosis in the DRC.
methodsWe conducted a retrospective study using 1,300 samples from yellow fever surveillance in the DRC from January 2017 to December 2018. Serum samples were screened for the presence of IgM against Leptospira spp. by a whole cell-based IgM ELISA (Patoc-IgM ELISA) at the Institut National de Recherche Biomedicale in Kinshasa (INRB) according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidance. Exploratory univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were undertaken to assess associations between socio-demographic factors and the presence of Leptospira IgM.
resultsOf the 1,300 serum samples screened, 88 (7%) showed evidence of IgM against Leptospira spp. Most positive cases (34%) were young adult males in the 20-29-year group. There were statistically significant associations between having Leptospira IgM antibodies, age, sex, and living area. Observed positive cases were mostly located in urban settings, and the majority lived in the province of Kinshasa. There was a statistically significant association between seasonality and IgM Leptospira spp. positivity amongst those living in Kinshasa, where most of the positive cases occurred during the rainy season.
conclusionsThis study showed that leptospirosis is likely an overlooked cause of unexplained cases of fever with jaundice in the DRC and highlights the need to consider leptospirosis in the differential diagnosis of fever with jaundice, particularly in young adult males. Further studies are needed to identify animal reservoirs, associated risk factors, and the burden of human leptospirosis in the DRC.
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