Monday, September 7, 2015

Leptospirosis– A Case Scenario


  • Mr. M 56 years is a farmer. He has three acres of paddy cultivation and two acres of land cultivating vegetables. Though he has people working in his fields, he makes regular visits to the paddy field and vegetable cultivations.
  • Mr. M was apparently normal except that he is a known case of diabetes mellitus for the past ten years. He was on oral hypoglycemic agents and his blood sugar was under control.
  • He developed fever six days back. Fever was low grade and intermittent. When the fever was high occasionally, he developed chills and rigor.
  • Along with fever, he had loose stools and vomiting. Two to three episodes of loose stools per day were there. There was no abdominal pain or abdominal fullness. Loose stools also started six day back
  • Patient developed cough with expectoration three days back. He had breathlessness from yesterday for which he sought medical treatment
  • Patient was admitted yesterday and the all the routine blood and urine investigations were sent. Blood is also sent for serology tests to rule out scrub typhus and typhoid
  • On examination, he had red conjunctiva and cracks on his heels and feet. All vital signs were normal except that he had mild fever.
  • Results of the blood show that he has abnormal liver function.


Provisional diagnosis is made for leptospirosis