Leptospirosis
Alternate Names : Cane-Cutter Fever, Canicola Fever, Hemorrhagic Jaundice, Icterohemorrhagic Fever, Mud Fever, Rice-Field Fever, Stuttgart Disease, Swamp Fever, Swineherd's Disease, Weil Disease
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Leptospirosis Diagnosis & Tests
- White blood cell (WBC) counts are generally less than 10,000.
- Urinalysis frequently is abnormal.
- Elevated creatine kinase is found in approximately 50% of patients.
- About 40% of patients have minimal to moderate elevations of liver enzymes.
- Diagnosis is most frequently made by serologic (antibody) testing.
- Bacteria is best visualized by dark field microscopy, silver stain, or fluorescent microscopy.
- Unlike Treponema pallidum, Leptospira can be grown from blood, urine, and CSF. It is slow growing and the laboratory needs to be notified.
- Isolation of the organism from the blood is successful in 50% of cases.
- Urine cultures become positive during the second week of the illness and remain so for up to 30 days.
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