Leptospirosis from the clinical viewpoint.

Epidemiological, clinical and microbiological data of 27 patients suffering from leptospirosis are presented. Because of the sporadic occurrence of the disease, diagnosis on admission was correct in only 18% of the patients. As proved by the agglutination test, most of the infections were due to serotype icterohaemorrhagiae, but in only one case could the leptospires be detected directly in the blood culture. In most of the cases the course of the disease was moderately severe with one fatality. Symptomatology and treatment are discussed.