This study evaluated the diagnostic utility of modified Faine's criteria for diagnosing leptospirosis. The study analyzed 100 patients presenting with fever in a hospital in Bengaluru, India. Clinical, epidemiological and laboratory findings were collected according to modified Faine's criteria. Laboratory tests included dark field microscopy of blood and urine, culture, and serological tests (IgM Leptocheck, IgM ELISA, MAT). Of the tests, MAT was considered the gold standard. The positive predictive values of the screening tests and modified Faine's criteria were calculated using MAT as reference. The positive predictive values ranged from 6.5% to 21%. The study concluded that modified Faine's criteria may not be as useful a
Introduction: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are associated with a high mortality rate of 20%-50%. Blood culture is paramount to identify causative agents of BSIs to choose an appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Objectives: The present study was undertaken to analyze the various microorganisms causing BSIs and study their antimicrobial resistance patterns in a tertiary care hospital, Eastern India. Materials and Methods: A total of 239 blood specimens from clinically suspected cases of BSIs were studied for 6 months from July 2015 to December 2015. Blood specimens were incubated in BacT/ALERT ® 3D system (bioMerieux, Durham, NC, USA) a fully automated blood culture system for detection of aerobic growth. Identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were conducted on VITEK ® 2 (bioMerieux, Durham, NC, USA) as per Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Results: Out of 239 specimens, 41 (17.2%) yielded growth of different microorganisms. From these isolates, 20 (48.8%) were Gram-negative bacilli, 18 (43.9%) were Gram-positive cocci and rest 3 (7.3%) were yeasts. Among Gram-negative bacilli, Klebsiella pneumoniae sub spp. pneumoniae (70%) was most commonly isolated. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (88.9%) were the most common isolate among Gram-positive cocci. All three Candida spp. isolated were nonalbicans Candida (two Candida tropicalis and one Candida krusei). Gram-negative isolates were least resistant to tigecycline and colistin. All Gram-positive cocci were sensitive to linezolid. Conclusion: Monitoring of data regarding the prevalence of microorganisms and its resistance patterns would help in currently prescribing antimicrobial regimens and improving the infection control practices by formulating policies for empirical antimicrobial therapy.
Johne's disease (JD) or Paratuberculosis (PTB) has gained a great attention by many industrial countries for its severing economic losses and possibly zoonotic concerns. In the current study conventional clinical and direct microscopic examination compared to real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to diagnose JD in clinically suspected small ruminants. Clinical examination revealed 130 (8.7%) suspected cases that showed history of emaciation and diarrhea out of the total examined (1500) animals. Direct microscopy of Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) stained smears (130) revealed 62 (47.7%) acid fast bacteria resembled Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). RT-PCR insertion sequence gene (IS900) detected MAP in 25 (65.8%) out of 38 fecal samples harbored acid fast bacilli. We concluded and recommended that RT-PCR considers the most rapid confirmatory method for screening and diagnosis of the MAP in comparison to low specific conventional phenotypic methods, which still remained valuable techniques in the diagnosis of JD in developing countries.
Key-words: Johne's disease, Paratuberculosis, Acid fast bacteria, Ziehl-Neelsen stain, IS900 gene
Introduction: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are associated with a high mortality rate of 20%-50%. Blood culture is paramount to identify causative agents of BSIs to choose an appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Objectives: The present study was undertaken to analyze the various microorganisms causing BSIs and study their antimicrobial resistance patterns in a tertiary care hospital, Eastern India. Materials and Methods: A total of 239 blood specimens from clinically suspected cases of BSIs were studied for 6 months from July 2015 to December 2015. Blood specimens were incubated in BacT/ALERT ® 3D system (bioMerieux, Durham, NC, USA) a fully automated blood culture system for detection of aerobic growth. Identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were conducted on VITEK ® 2 (bioMerieux, Durham, NC, USA) as per Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Results: Out of 239 specimens, 41 (17.2%) yielded growth of different microorganisms. From these isolates, 20 (48.8%) were Gram-negative bacilli, 18 (43.9%) were Gram-positive cocci and rest 3 (7.3%) were yeasts. Among Gram-negative bacilli, Klebsiella pneumoniae sub spp. pneumoniae (70%) was most commonly isolated. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (88.9%) were the most common isolate among Gram-positive cocci. All three Candida spp. isolated were nonalbicans Candida (two Candida tropicalis and one Candida krusei). Gram-negative isolates were least resistant to tigecycline and colistin. All Gram-positive cocci were sensitive to linezolid. Conclusion: Monitoring of data regarding the prevalence of microorganisms and its resistance patterns would help in currently prescribing antimicrobial regimens and improving the infection control practices by formulating policies for empirical antimicrobial therapy.
Johne's disease (JD) or Paratuberculosis (PTB) has gained a great attention by many industrial countries for its severing economic losses and possibly zoonotic concerns. In the current study conventional clinical and direct microscopic examination compared to real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to diagnose JD in clinically suspected small ruminants. Clinical examination revealed 130 (8.7%) suspected cases that showed history of emaciation and diarrhea out of the total examined (1500) animals. Direct microscopy of Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) stained smears (130) revealed 62 (47.7%) acid fast bacteria resembled Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). RT-PCR insertion sequence gene (IS900) detected MAP in 25 (65.8%) out of 38 fecal samples harbored acid fast bacilli. We concluded and recommended that RT-PCR considers the most rapid confirmatory method for screening and diagnosis of the MAP in comparison to low specific conventional phenotypic methods, which still remained valuable techniques in the diagnosis of JD in developing countries.
Key-words: Johne's disease, Paratuberculosis, Acid fast bacteria, Ziehl-Neelsen stain, IS900 gene
Zyvac tcv the Indian typhoid conjugate vaccination - Yamunanagar aug 2018Gaurav Gupta
Zyvac TCV by Zydus Vaccines is the Indian Typhoid Conjugate vaccination with Indian Carrier TT protein.
Recent data from Lancet regarding TCV efficacy is featured in this presentation
ABCs in EIDs: Preparing for Emerging Infectious DiseasesArthur Dessi Roman
With the imminent threat of emerging infectious diseases in our midst, Dr. Arthur Dessi Roman provides a step by step guide on how institutions can prepare for these EIDs.
GLP applies to nonclinical studies conducted for the assessment of the safety or efficacy of chemicals (including pharmaceuticals).
GLP helps assure regulatory authorities that the data submitted are a true.
Basic laboratory procedures in clinical bacteriologyamin beni
book of Basic laboratory procedures in clinical bacteriology Basic laboratory procedures in clinical bacteriology Basic laboratory procedures in clinical bacteriology Basic laboratory procedures in clinical bacteriology
WEBINAR - Zyvac tcv master class september 2018Gaurav Gupta
WEBINAR - Zyvac tcv master class september 2018. All indian webinar on the new Indian typhoid conjugate vaccination,
Broadcast throughout India with more than 500 pediatricians from across the country registering for viewing and asking questions
Zyvac tcv the Indian typhoid conjugate vaccination - Yamunanagar aug 2018Gaurav Gupta
Zyvac TCV by Zydus Vaccines is the Indian Typhoid Conjugate vaccination with Indian Carrier TT protein.
Recent data from Lancet regarding TCV efficacy is featured in this presentation
ABCs in EIDs: Preparing for Emerging Infectious DiseasesArthur Dessi Roman
With the imminent threat of emerging infectious diseases in our midst, Dr. Arthur Dessi Roman provides a step by step guide on how institutions can prepare for these EIDs.
GLP applies to nonclinical studies conducted for the assessment of the safety or efficacy of chemicals (including pharmaceuticals).
GLP helps assure regulatory authorities that the data submitted are a true.
Basic laboratory procedures in clinical bacteriologyamin beni
book of Basic laboratory procedures in clinical bacteriology Basic laboratory procedures in clinical bacteriology Basic laboratory procedures in clinical bacteriology Basic laboratory procedures in clinical bacteriology
WEBINAR - Zyvac tcv master class september 2018Gaurav Gupta
WEBINAR - Zyvac tcv master class september 2018. All indian webinar on the new Indian typhoid conjugate vaccination,
Broadcast throughout India with more than 500 pediatricians from across the country registering for viewing and asking questions
Leptospirosis an emerging public health problem. I have give an overview and skipped Pathogenesis & Surviellance. Tried to keep it short & informative.
This bulletin is a publication of the CRC networks in Perak (Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun Ipoh, Hospital Seri Manjung and Hospital Taiping).
This issue emcompasses various research articles written by CRC staff, a research scope write-up to emphasize on the research focus this coming year, programmes conducted in 2021 as well as upcoming events across the CRC Perak Network this year.
(e-ISSN Number: 2682-7867).
Comparison of Ziehl Neelsen Microscopy with GeneXpert for Detection of Mycoba...iosrjce
IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences is one of the speciality Journal in Dental Science and Medical Science published by International Organization of Scientific Research (IOSR). The Journal publishes papers of the highest scientific merit and widest possible scope work in all areas related to medical and dental science. The Journal welcome review articles, leading medical and clinical research articles, technical notes, case reports and others.
Paratuberculosis (PTB) remains one of the most obstacles limit animal breeding sector all over the world. The current study aimed to detect the etiology of PTB in tissues of clinically suspected small ruminants using histopathological and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) methods. Clinical examination showed 10 (26.4%) PTB suspected cases out of the total (38) examined animals. The suspected cases were euthanized, necropsied, gross lesions were recorded and tissue samples were collected for histopathological and molecular procedures. Grossly intestinal and mesenteric lymph nodes thickening, corrugations and edematous swellings were recorded. Semi-thin sections of the intestine and mesenteric lymph nodes stained with toluidine blue demonstrated MAP organism inside epithelium cells and macrophages. RT-PCR detected MAP IS900 gene in all suspected cases (100%), thus we recommend using RT-PCR as a rapid sensitive method in the diagnosis of PTB.
Key-words: Paratuberculosis, Mycobacterium, Semi thin sections, Toluidine blue, IS900 gene
A Study on Pattern of Using Prophylactic Antibiotics in Caesarean Sectioniosrphr_editor
The IOSR Journal of Pharmacy (IOSRPHR) is an open access online & offline peer reviewed international journal, which publishes innovative research papers, reviews, mini-reviews, short communications and notes dealing with Pharmaceutical Sciences( Pharmaceutical Technology, Pharmaceutics, Biopharmaceutics, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Computational Chemistry and Molecular Drug Design, Pharmacognosy & Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Pharmacy Practice, Clinical and Hospital Pharmacy, Cell Biology, Genomics and Proteomics, Pharmacogenomics, Bioinformatics and Biotechnology of Pharmaceutical Interest........more details on Aim & Scope).
1. Evaluation Of Diagnostic Utility Of Modified Faine’s Criteria In Leptospirosis
NJIRM 2015; Vol. 6(4) July – August eISSN: 0975-9840 pISSN: 2230 - 9969 20
Evaluation Of Diagnostic Utility Of Modified Faine’s Criteria In Leptospirosis-
Experience From A Tertiary Care Hospital.
Mohit Bhatia*, Umapathy B L**, Navaneeth B V***
* Senior Resident, Department Of Microbiology, Govind Ballabh Pant Institute Of Post Graduate Medical Education And Research, New
Delhi, ** Professor, Department of Microbiology, Sree Mookambika Institute Of Medical Sciences, Kulasekharam, Kanyakumari District,
Tamil Nadu, *** Professor & Head, Department Of Microbiology, ESIC-MC & PGIMSR, Rajajinagar, Bengaluru.
Abstracts: Background & Objective: Leptospirosis is an emerging infectious disease, for the diagnosis of which
clinical, epidemiological and laboratory parameters may be evaluated as per modidified Faine’s criteria
suggested by several authors. The objective of this study was to validate the utility of modified Faine’s criteria
in the diagnosis of leptospirosis. Methodology: This study was carried out at a tertiary care hospital in
Bengaluru, India from January 2011 to April 2012. Blood, urine and paired sera from one hundred patients with
clinical suspicion of leptospirosis were collected. Relevant clinical and epidemiological details of these patients
were also obtained as per modified Faine’s criteria. Blood and urine samples of these patients were subjected
to Dark Field Microscopy (DFM) and culture, whereas, their sera were subjected to Immuno chromatography
(IgM Leptocheck), IgM Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (IgM ELISA) and Macroscopic Slide Agglutination
Test (MSAT). All the leptospira seropositive samples were subjected to Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT)
which was also used as the gold standard to validate all the aforementioned serological tests and modified
Faine’s criteria. Results: Positive Predictive Values (PPV) of all the aforementioned serological screening tests
and modified Faine’s criteria were calculated. PPV of IgM Leptocheck, MSAT, IgM ELISA and modified Faine’s
criteria were found to be 14.3%, 6.5%, 8.7% and 21% respectively. Conclusion: The diagnosis of leptospirosis
(both laboratory & clinical) is an uphill task. A high index of suspicion is needed in endemic areas &
leptospirosis must be considered when a patient presents with acute onset of fever, headache & myalgia.
From the results obtained in our study, it seems that modified Faine’s criteria may not be as useful a diagnostic
tool as it has traditionally been thought to be. More studies should be carried out to evaluate its diagnostic
utility.[Bhatia M NJIRM 2015; 6(4):20-26]
Key Words: Leptospirosis; modidified Faine’s criteria; MAT.
Author for correspondence: Dr. Mohit Bhatia, Senior Resident, Department of Microbiology, Govind Ballabh
Pant Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, New Delhi– 110002. Email:
docmb1984@gmail.com
Introduction: Leptospirosis is an emerging
infectious disease which is associated with wide
spectrum of manifestations ranging from
subclinical infection to a severe syndrome of
multi-organ infection with high mortality1,2
.The
commonly followed case definition, which is
also recommended by the WHO and
International Leptospirosis Society prescribes
that any person presenting with acute onset of
fever, headache and body aches associated with
severe muscle tenderness particularly in calf
muscles, haemorrhages including sub-conjunctival
haemorrhage, jaundice, cough, breathlessness and
haemoptysis, oliguria, signs of meningeal irritation
should be suspected as a case of leptospirosis
and investigated3
. A suspect, who tests positive
in any of the screening tests such as dipstick,
lateral flow or latex agglutination test should be
considered as a probable case. Successful
isolation of Leptospires from clinical specimens,
a four-fold or higher rise in titre or
seroconversion in paired MAT or a positive
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is considered as
confirmatory evidence of current leptospiral
infection3
. Owing to shortcomings of laboratory
tests in establishing early diagnosis of leptospirosis,
the World Health Organization (WHO), introduced
Faine’s criteria which includes the scoring of
clinical, epidemiological and laboratory parameters
of patients (Parts A, B and C respectively) 4
.This
criteria has been simultaneously modified and
validated by Brato et al and Shivkumar et al, who
recommended addition of abdominal symptoms,
local factors (like rainfall) and newer investigations
in the total scoring respectively5,6
. The present
study was carried out to validate the utility of
modified Faine’s criteria in diagnosing
leptospirosis.
Material and Methods:
A descriptive study was carried out in a tertiary
care hospital (catering only to beneficiaries
2. Evaluation Of Diagnostic Utility Of Modified Faine’s Criteria In Leptospirosis
NJIRM 2015; Vol. 6(4) July – August eISSN: 0975-9840 pISSN: 2230 - 9969 21
covered under Employee’s State Insurance Act,
1948) in Bengaluru, India from January 2011 to
April 2012. One hundred patients attending OPDs
or admitted in Paediatric & Medicine wards were
included in the study. The inclusion criteria for
selecting these patients were: (a) Patients with
undiagnosed fever of ≤ two weeks in duration. (b)
Patients with fever and jaundice.(c) Patients with
fever and associated manifestations such as
headache, myalgia, rashes , conjunctival suffusion,
oliguria/anuria & features suggestive of meningitis.
Patients on antibiotic (Crystalline Penicillin &
Tetracyclins etc) treatment & those less than one
year in age were excluded from the study. Relevant
clinical & epidemiological data (including
occupational history) was obtained as per the
proforma formulated in accordance with modified
Faine’s criteria recommended by Shivkumar et al as
shown in Table 16
. Appropriate scores were
assigned to patients taking into account clinical,
epidemiological and laboratory parameters. A
score of 26 or more when using Part A or Part A+B
or 25 or more using Part A+B+C was presumed to
be a case of current leptospirosis6
. Institutional
ethical approval was obtained and the following
samples were collected:
Table 1: Modified Faine’s criteria as per the
recommendations of Shivkumar et al 6
Part A: Clinical data Score
Headache 2
Fever 2
If fever, temperature 39°C or more 2
Conjunctival suffusion (bilateral) 4
Meningism 4
Muscle pain (especially calf muscle) 4
Conjunctival suffusion + meningism + myalgia 10
Jaundice 1
Albuminuria or nitrogen retention 2
Part B: Epidemiological factors
Rainfall 5
Contact with contaminated environment 4
Animal contact 1
Part C: Bacteriological and laboratory findings
Isolation of leptospires in culture Diagnosis
certain
IgM ELISA positive 15
Macroscopic Slide Agglutination Test (MSAT)
positive
*
15
Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) single
high titre
*
15
MAT rising titres (paired sera)
*
25
*Only one of these tests to be scored
Blood: Five ml of intravenous blood samples were
collected aseptically from patients between
seventh and tenth day of fever in sterile
vacutainers coated with ethylene diamine tetra
acetic acid (EDTA) for Dark Field Microscopy
(DFM) and culture.
Urine: Freshly voided mid-stream urine samples
were collected from patients between tenth to
fourteenth day of fever in sterile universal
containers containing equal amount of PBS with pH
7.2.
Sera: Two ml of intravenous blood samples were
collected aseptically in plain vacutainers on two
occasions (obtained one week apart on seventh
and fourteenth day of fever respectively) for
serological assays like IgM Leptocheck, IgM ELISA,
MSAT & MAT. Hemolysed, clotted, contaminated,
viscous/turbid specimens were rejected. Serum
samples were stored at -20˚C if not processed
immediately. Repeated freeze-thawing was
avoided. No preservatives were used for storing
serum samples.
The following procedures were carried out on the
samples collected:
Dark Field Microscopy (DFM)
Blood: Blood sample (treated with an
anticoagulant) was centrifuged at 1000g for 15
minutes. About ten μl of plasma was placed on a
thin microscopic slide and cover slip was placed.
The wet films were examined under DFM under
low & high power magnifications (x100 & x400). If
no leptospires were seen, the plasma was
centrifuged at 3000-4000g for 20 minutes. The
supernatant was removed carefully and a drop of
sediment was examined microscopically as above7
.
Urine: A part of freshly voided urine was
centrifuged at 3000 g for ten minutes. A drop of
deposit was then placed on a thin microscopic slide
& a cover slip was added to prepare a wet film &
examined under DFM under both low & high
power magnifications (x100 & x400) respectively7
.
3. Evaluation Of Diagnostic Utility Of Modified Faine’s Criteria In Leptospirosis
NJIRM 2015; Vol. 6(4) July – August eISSN: 0975-9840 pISSN: 2230 - 9969 22
Culture: Commercially available Ellinghausen-
McCullough-Johnson-Harris (EMJH) semisolid
mediumbase and Leptospira enrichment (BD-Difco)
were used to prepare the culture medium.
Selective EMJH medium was prepared by adding
100µg/ml of 5-Fluoro Uracil (Rolex Chemical
Industries) to the original medium for inoculating
urine samples.
Blood: Few drops of blood were inoculated into
sterile capped plastic centrifuge tubes containing
about 5 ml medium and incubated at 28- 30°C for
four to six weeks7,8
.
Urine: Urine diluted in PBS 7.2 was inoculated into
sterile capped plastic centrifuge tubes containing
selective EMJH medium. Subcultures were done
into EMJH medium without 5-Fluoro Uracil within
48 hours to minimize the inhibitory effect of
selective agent on leptospires and was incubated
at 28-30ºC for four to six weeks7,8
.
Examination of the cultures: The cultures were
examined for signs of growth i.e. turbidity, haze or
a ring of growth (Dinger’s ring) and by using dark
field illumination initially on day one, three and five
followed by seven to ten days interval up to six
weeks5
.When the tube inoculated with a specimen
became contaminated before 6 weeks, filtration of
the medium was done using a 0.22µm membrane
filter using syringe filters (Millipore India Pvt. Ltd.).
The filtrate was then inoculated into a fresh
medium. Lightly contaminated cultures were sub-
cultured into selective EMJH medium9
.
Reporting of the results: Cultures were incubated
for four to six weeks before reporting them as
negative. If all the tubes inoculated with a
specimen became contaminated beyond retrieval
before six weeks, it was reported as contaminants
isolated in culture. All the positive cultures
werereported as “Leptospires isolated”9
.
Serology:Immunochromatography(IgMLeptocheck,
IgM Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (IgM
ELISA) and Macroscopic Slide Agglutination Test
(MSAT) obtained from Zephyr Biomedicals, J.
Mitra& Co. Pvt. Ltd. and Bio-Rad respectively were
performed on all the sera samples. These tests
were carried out according to manufacturer’s
instructions. All the serum samples tested positive
by Leptospira serological tests were sent to
Regional Medical Research Centre (Indian Council
of Medical Research), WHO collaborating centre
for diagnosis, reference, research & training in
leptospirosis, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar
islands (India) in cold chain to be tested by
Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT). The serovars
used were: Australis, Bankinang, Canicola,
Grippotyphosa, Hebdomadis, Icterohaemorrhagiae,
Pomona, Pyrogenes&Hardjo. Sera with titres >/=
1:80 were interpreted as positive by MAT10
.
Statistical analysis: Positive Predictive Values (PPV)
of IgMLeptocheck, IgM ELISA, MSAT and modified
Faine’s criteria were calculated using MAT as the
gold standard.
Results: Out of one hundred cases, sixty were
factory workers, thirty were school going
children & ten were home bound. All 100
patients presented with fever, however twenty
presented with high grade fever, thirty one with
myalgia , thirty one with signs of renal dysfunction
twenty with bilateral conjunctival suffusion ,twenty
four with jaundice, fifteen with meningism and ten
with head ache in various combinations as shown
in Table 2.
Table 2**
: Table showing clinical profile of patients
Clinical Manifestations No. of cases
Fever/High grade fever (>39°c) 100/20
Myalgia (especially of calf muscles) 31
Signs of renal dysfunction
(oliguria/albuminuria/raised blood
urea nitrogen)
31
Jaundice 24
Bilateral conjunctival suffusion 20
Meningism 15
Headache 10
**Table has been formulated in accordance with
modified Faine’s criteria recommended by
Shivkumar et al6
Sixty out of 100 patients presented during rainy
seasons (May-August & October-November). Only
five cases gave positive history of contact with
4. Evaluation Of Diagnostic Utility Of Modified Faine’s Criteria In Leptospirosis
NJIRM 2015; Vol. 6(4) July – August eISSN: 0975-9840 pISSN: 2230 - 9969 23
contaminated environment. None of the cases
gave positive history of animal contact.
None of the blood & urine samples showed
positivity by DFM. Leptospires were isolated from
urine of a one year old child & identified as
Leptospira inadai by PCR performed at
PD_ADMAS (Project Directorate on Animal Disease
Monitoring and Surveillance), Hebbal, Bengaluru.
Sixty three patients gave paired sera. The serum
samples (acute &/or convalescent) of forty nine of
these cases were tested positive for leptospirosis
by IgM Leptocheck, MSAT & IgM ELISA in various
combinations (eleven by IgM Leptocheck, MSAT
&IgM ELISA; thirty three by MSAT & IgM ELISA;
three by IgM Leptocheck & MSAT & two by IgM
Leptocheck & IgM ELISA) as shown in Table 3.
Table 3: Table showing the positivity of leptospira
serological tests in various combinations
Positivity
by IgM
Leptocheck
MSAT &
IgM ELISA
Positivity
by MSAT
& IgM
ELISA
Positivity
by IgM
Leptocheck
& MSAT
Positivity
by IgM
Leptocheck
& IgM
ELISA
Total
11 33 3 2 49
Out of 100 cases, IgM Leptocheck detected
seropositivity in sixteen cases (16%), MSAT in
forty seven cases (47%) & IgM ELISA in forty six
cases (46%) respectively.MAT detected two out of
sixteen (12.5%) IgM Leptocheck seropositive cases,
three out of forty seven (6.4%) MSAT seropositive
cases & four out of forty six (8.7%) IgM ELISA
seropositive cases as depicted in Table 4.
Table 4: Table showing the overall positivity &
concordance (with MAT) of leptospira serological
tests
Serological assay No. of seropositives
(%)/Concordance with MAT (%)
IgM Leptocheck 16 (16%)/ 2 (12.5%)
MSAT 47 (47%)/ 3 (6.4%)
IgM ELISA 46 (46%)/ 4 (8.7%)
Samples of all the 49 cases tested seropositive
were subjected MAT. Only sera of four of these
cases were tested positive by MAT [three of which
were tested positive for serovar Australis & one
for two serovars (i.e) Grippotyphosa & Pyrogenes.
None of the leptospira seronegative cases (fifty
one cases) satisfied modified Faine’s criteria.
Out of the remaining 49 leptospira seropositive
cases, only nineteen (38.8%) satisfied modified
Faine’s criteria. However, sera of only 4 out of
these 19 patients was tested positive by MAT.
The Positive Predictive Values (PPV) of IgM
Leptocheck, MSAT, IgM ELISA and modified Faine’s
criteria were calculated using MAT as the gold
standard and were found to be 14.3%, 6.5% , 8.7%
and 21% respectively as shown in Table 5.
Table 5: Table showing Positive Predictive Value
of IgM Leptocheck, MSAT, IgM ELISA & modified
Faine’s criteria using MAT as the gold standard
Name of the test/criteria Positive Predictive
Value(%)
IgM Leptocheck 14.3%
MSAT 6.5%
IgM ELISA 8.7%
Modified Faine’s criteria 21%
Discussion: Leptospirosis is difficult to distinguish
from dengue, malaria, influenza & many other
diseases characterized by fever, headache &
myalgia11
.The differential diagnosis of
leptospirosis depends on the epidemiology of
acute febrile illnesses in the particular area. The
diagnosis of leptospirosis in humans is almost
entirely dependent on laboratory findings12
. The
most frequently used diagnostic approach for
leptospirosis has been that of serology11
.
Faine had introduced a criteria for diagnosis of
leptospirosis on the basis of clinical,
epidemiological and laboratory data (Parts A, B
and C respectively)6
. A presumptive diagnosis of
leptospirosis may be made if:
(i) Part A or Part A+B score = 26 or more (Part C
laboratory report is usually not available
before fifth day of illness; thus it is mainly a
clinical and epidemiologic diagnosis during
early part of disease)
(ii) Part A+B+C = 25 or more. A score between 20
and 25 suggests a possible but unconfirmed
diagnosis of leptospirosis.
5. Evaluation Of Diagnostic Utility Of Modified Faine’s Criteria In Leptospirosis
NJIRM 2015; Vol. 6(4) July – August eISSN: 0975-9840 pISSN: 2230 - 9969 24
Brato, et al, in 1998 recommended modification of
the WHO Faine’s criteria by adding abdominal pain
or diarrhea in the clinical features (Part A) with a
score of four5
. As per modified Faine’s criteria
recommended by Shivkumar et al, only
epidemiological and laboratory criteria (Parts B and
C) were modified and no modification was made in
the clinical criteria (Part A)5
. The reasons for
modification suggested were as follows:
(i) Most of the leptospirosis is reported in
monsoon and post-monsoon period.
Therefore they have suggested rainfall
separately to be adjusted in the scoring
criteria of Part B.
(ii) Microscopic agglutination test (MAT) is the
Gold Standard test, but it is complicated and
less sensitive compared to newer tests like
IgM Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay
(IgM ELISA) and Macroscopic Slide
Agglutination Test (MSAT). IgM ELISA and
MSAT are simple, sensitive tests and can be
used to diagnose current leptospirosis. Thus,
they have been included with appropriate
score.
The difficulties in utilizing MAT are due to the
following reasons6
:
(a) The antibody titres rise and peak only in
second or third week. Thus, paired sera are
required to demonstrate four-fold rise of titre.
(b) The test is complicated requiring dark-field
microscopy and cultures of various serovars,
which may not be available in smaller
laboratories.
The advantage of including simple diagnostic
tests (IgM ELISA or MSAT ) in modified Faine’s
criteria is that it helps in diagnosing milder
forms of leptospirosis which are associated with
low clinical score (Part A). Suggestion of
modification of existing Faine’s criteria appears
justified; however further evaluation is
required6
.
In our study, Positive Predictive Values (PPV) of
IgM Leptocheck, MSAT & IgM ELISA (taking MAT
as the gold standard test) were found to be
extremely low (14.3% , 6.5% & 8.7% respectively).
The reasons for obtaining such low PPV could
be due to the various diagnostic pitfalls of
MAT as follows13
:
(1) The antibodies may not be detectable when
the causative strain is not represented in
the panel (of serovars used for MAT) or
only a low titre is found with a serovar
that antigenically resembles the absent
causative serovar.
(2) It is never possible to be sure that the
panel is complete since, new, unidentified
leptospires may cause the disease.
Many studies have shown that
Immunochromatography (ICT), MSAT & IgM ELISA
which are used for diagnosing leptospirosis
have much higher PPV12, 14-17
. In most of these
studies, only sera from cases of leptospirosis
(confirmed by MAT) were subjected to various
rapid leptospira serological tests like IgM ELISA,
ICT & MSAT & validity of these tests was
evaluated. However, in the present study, sera
from clinically suspected cases of leptospirosis
were first screened by rapid leptospira
serological tests & then all the seropositive
samples were subjected to MAT for
confirmation of diagnosis. This also probably
explains the lower PPV in the results obtained
in the present study.
Factors that can increase the positive predictive
value of a diagnostic test include screening a
population at high risk of developing the disease
and increasing the specificity of the screening
test18
. This study was carried out in a tertiary care
hospital which did not cater to general population
and therefore, the prevalence of leptospirosis in
the target population might have been low. This in
turn could have resulted in low PPV of the various
serological tests which were used in our study.
Also, the sensitivity and specificity (as per
manufacturer’s guidelines) of IgM Leptocheck , IgM
ELISA and MSAT were 91.2% and 52.8%, 99.22%
and 99.84% & 45% and 76.5% respectively. With
the exception of IgM ELISA, all other serological
tests used in the present study had low specificity.
This could well be another reason for obtaining low
PPV of leptospira serological tests.
None of the 100 cases were tested positive for
leptospirosis by DFM. However, DFM has not
been accepted for diagnostic purposes; as it is
6. Evaluation Of Diagnostic Utility Of Modified Faine’s Criteria In Leptospirosis
NJIRM 2015; Vol. 6(4) July – August eISSN: 0975-9840 pISSN: 2230 - 9969 25
considered insensitive and the results are non
specific1
.
Leptospires could be isolated from only one
patient. This could be because culture is known
to give low isolation rates & is time
consuming1
. This isolate was identified as
Leptospira inadai by PCR. Both acute &
convalescent serum samples of this patient
were tested positive by IgM Leptocheck, MSAT
& IgM ELISA.
In the present study, none of the 51 leptospira
seronegative cases satisfied modified Faine’s
criteria & only 19 out of the remaining 49
seropositive cases satisfied this criteria. This can
be explained by the fact that most of the
patients obtained low scores when clinico-
epidemiological parameters were evaluated.
The PPV of this criteria in diagnosing
leptospirosis (taking MAT as the gold standard)
was found to be 21%. This could be due to low
PPV of the rapid serological tests performed in
our study.
A major drawback of our study was that we could
not calculate the sensitivity, specificity and
Negative Predictive Value (NPV) of modified
Faine’s criteria as only 49 out of 100 seropositive
samples were subjected to MAT. Also, owing to the
various diagnostic pitfalls of MAT enlisted earlier,
its usage as gold standard for validating various
serological tests used for screening of leptospirosis
and modified Faine’s criteria is questionable. From
the results obtained in our study, it seems that
modified Faine’s criteria may not be as useful a
diagnostic tool as it has traditionally been thought
to be. However, one should be cautious while
interpreting these findings owing to the various
short comings of this study enlisted earlier. More
studies should be carried out to evaluate the
diagnostic utility of this criteria.
Conclusion: The diagnosis of leptospirosis (both
laboratory & clinical) is a challenging task. A high
index of suspicion is needed in endemic areas &
leptospirosis must be considered when a patient
presents with acute onset of fever, headache &
myalgia. Further evaluation of diagnostic utility of
modified Faine’s criteria is need of the hour.
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Conflict of interest: None
Funding: None
Cite this Article as: Bhatia M, Umapathy B L,
Navaneeth B V, Evaluation Of Diagnostic Utility Of
Modified Faine’s Criteria In Leptospirosis-
Experience From A Tertiary Care Hospital.. Natl J
Integr Res Med 2015; 6(4): 20-26