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IgM ELISA being simple and affordable could be an alternative diagnostic test to IgM IFA which is subjective and costly.

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Hospital-based surveillance of zoonotic diseases was carried out at a tertiary care hospital located in semi-arid zone in Central India. Here, we report descriptive epidemiology and climatic determinants of leptospirosis. All patients presenting with fever of 5 days and more were included in the study. We interviewed the subject to obtain data on socio-demographics. Blood samples were collected and IgM ELISA was carried out to diagnose leptospirosis. Microscopic agglutination test was performed at National Leptospirosis Reference Centre, Port Blair. Data on climatic conditions was obtained from Indian Meteorology Department and National Centre for Environmental Prediction. Time-series Poisson Regression analysis was carried out to study the climatic determinants. We found 12.7% of the study subjects positive for leptospirosis by IgM ELISA. Positivity was maximum (17.1%) in 41-60 years of age, more females were affected than males (14% vs 11.5%). Farm workers were affected more (17.2%) than non-farm workers performing service, business, household work etc. (10.9%). Positivity was more in monsoon as compared to other seasons. We found a single large hot cluster of leptospirosis in the middle of the district. Relative humidity in the month and rainfall in the previous month was the significant determinants of leptospirosis.

Background & objectives: Scrub typhus caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi presents as acute undifferentiated fever and can be confused with other infectious causes of fever. We studied scrub typhus as part of a study on hospital-based surveillance of zoonotic and vector-borne zoonotic diseases at a tertiary care hospital located in the Wardha district, Maharashtra, India. We report here descriptive epidemiology and climatic factors affecting scrub typhus. Methods: Patients of any age and sex with fever of ≥5 days were enrolled for this study. Data on sociodemographic variables were collected by personal interviews. Blood samples were tested by IgM ELISA to diagnose scrub typhus. Confirmation of scrub typhus was done by indirect immunofluorescence assay for IgM (IgM IFA). The climatic determinants were determined using time-series Poisson regression analysis. Results: It was found that 15.9 per cent of the study participants were positive for scrub typhus by IgM ELISA and IgM IFA, both. Positivity was maximum (23.0%) in 41-60 yr of age and more females were affected than males (16.6 vs . 15.5%). Farmworkers were affected more (23.6%) than non-farm workers (12.9%). The disease positivity was found to be high in monsoon and post-monsoon seasons (22.9 and 19.4%) than in summer and winter. Interpretation & conclusions: There were three hot spots of scrub typhus in urban areas of Wardha district. Rainfall and relative humidity in the previous month were the significant determinants of the disease.