Incidence of human leptospirosis in São Paulo

Abstract

The authors initially made an historical retrospection about human cases of Weil's disease refered in the State of São Paulo (Brazil) since 1929, when Salles Gomes and Toledo Piza reported one human case with experimental reproduction of the disease in the guinea-pig. They stated one case reported by A. Prado and 33 others observed from beginning of 1947 in the "Hospital das Clínicas" by Alvares Corrêa and Alves Meira; one of these cases is the first one of canicola fever in human patient observed in Brazil.

The laboratory diagnosis of leptospiroses from 146 patients was made employing the following methods: a) Dark-field examination of a drop of plasm after centrifugation

of citrated blood; b) Inoculation of culture tubes with a few drops of citrated blood; c) Guinea-pig inoculation; d) Serum agglutination test using as antigens the following strains: 1. L. icterohaemorrhagiae (Packchanian), 2. L. icterohaemorrhagiae (J. Tobie), 3. L. canicola (J. Tobie), 4. L. pomonae (Mezano 1), 5. L. australis (B. Zanoni), 6. L. bataviae – var. Oryzeti (Pavia 1), 7. L. sejröe (M. 84), 8. L. canicola (Alarik), 9. L. icterohaemorrhagiae (Bianchi 1), 10. L. icterohaemorrhagiae A e B (Zaan). In 146 patients with jaundice the authors were able to demonstrate positive agglutination for leptospira in 45: Leptospira icterohaemorrhagiae 44 and Leptospira canicola 1.