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ArticleResearch and reports in tropical medicine2021

Are Pathogenic Leptospira a Possible Cause of Aseptic Meningitis in Suspected Children in Sudan?

Nada Abdelghani Abdelrahim, Imad Mohammed Fadl-Elmula, Rudy A Hartskeerl, Ahmed Ahmed, Marga Goris

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Research and reports in tropical medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 37% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Nada Abdelghani AbdelrahimDepartment of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Nile University, Khartoum, Sudan.ORCID 0000-0001-8736-1148
Imad Mohammed Fadl-ElmulaDepartment of Pathology & Clinical Genetics, Al-Neelain University and Assafa Academy, Khartoum, Sudan.
Rudy A HartskeerlOIE and National Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis, Department of Medical Microbiology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Ahmed AhmedOIE and National Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis, Department of Medical Microbiology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Marga GorisOIE and National Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis, Department of Medical Microbiology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam · NLAl-Neelain University · SD

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionClinical presentations of leptospirosis are diverse, with meningitis easily confused with other microbial causes. We aimed to investigate the involvement of pathogenic leptospira in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of meningitis-suspected children in Sudan.

methodsA total of 153 CSF specimens were collected over 5 months from patients attending a reference pediatric hospital in Omdurman, Sudan. All patients had provisionally been diagnosed with meningitis on admission. Demographic, clinical, and conventional laboratory findings were obtained. DNA was extracted using a QIAamp mini kit, and the

resultsNine of 153 (6%) CSF specimens were positive for pathogenic leptospiral DNA. All these patients were male (seven infants and two toddlers aged ˂4 years). Typical conventional laboratory findings for aseptic meningitis (ie, CSF turbidity/pleocytosis, normal or reduced CSF glucose, normal or elevated proteins) were seen in five (56%). All patients presented with fever and seizures, 56% vomiting and stiff neck, and 29% bulging fontanel. Most (67%) patients presented in summer (March to May). Polymicrobial infections were identified in three patients (33%).

conclusionWe conclude that pathogenic leptospira are probably a common cause of meningitis in children in Sudan; therefore, we recommend including leptospirosis in the differential diagnosis of CNS infections and other undifferentiated febrile illnesses in this country.

Indexed as

Africainfectious meningitisleptospirosisPCRpediatrics

Identifiers

PMID35002355
PMCPMC8725262
OpenAlexW4200142722

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.