Leptospirosis, an underdiagnosed zoonotic disease in India, was studied retrospectively in Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Between 2018 and 2019, 2617 samples from patients with hepatitis-related symptoms were collected. Of these, 518 tested negative for hepatitis and other tropical viral diseases under the VRDL project were analyzed for leptospira IgM using ELISA. 68 (13.12%) were positive for leptospirosis. Common symptoms included fever (97.45%) and jaundice (42.27%), with renal involvement in 30.88% of cases. Higher incidence was observed in the 31-60 age group, especially during monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. The study highlights the need for increased clinician awareness and inclusion of leptospirosis in screening panels to differentiate tropical illnesses in India.
Keywords: Central India; Leptospirosis; Zoonoses.
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