[Anti-Leptospira antibodies in patients in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul with clinical suspicion of dengue or viral hepatitis].

In view of the lack of clinical and epidemiological data on human leptospirosis in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, and the possibility of confounding it with other diseases, sera from patients with a preliminary clinical suspicion of dengue or viral hepatitis but without laboratory confirmation were examined by means of microscopic seroagglutination techniques for leptospirosis. The seroreactivity rates among the samples with clinically suspected dengue or viral hepatitis were 15.9% and 9%. The most frequent serovar was Hurstbridge (70.4%) and the serovar with the highest titer was Canicola (1:51,200). No association was found between seropositivity and the patients sex, age or occupation. This study demonstrated that, although the present notifications of leptospirosis cases in Mato Grosso do Sul are negligible, the prevalence of antibodies was high in the groups investigated. Therefore, the hypothesis that there is undernotification of human leptospirosis cases in this State and difficulties in the differential diagnosis between dengue and viral hepatitis should be considered.