PREVALENCE OF LEPTOSPIROSIS AMONG PATIENTS WITH LIVER AND KIDNEY DISORDERS IN RIVERS STATE UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, PORT HACOURT,RIVERS STATE.
Abstract
Leptospirosis is caused by the bacterium Leptospira interrogans.It is a widespread
and potentially fatal zoonosis endemic in many tropical regions, often leading to large
epidemics following heavy rainfall and flooding. The infection occurs through direct
or indirect exposure to infected reservoir host animals that harbor the pathogen in
their renal tubules and shed it in their urine. Leptospirosis can lead to multiple organ
dysfunction, particularly affecting the liver and kidneys. This study aimed to
determine the prevalence of leptospirosis among individuals with liver and kidney
disorders in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, Nigeria. Ethical approval was obtained from
Rivers State University Teaching Hospital. A total of 160 consenting adults
participated in the study, which utilized the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
(ELISA) technique to detect the presence of Leptospira IgG antibodies. Wellstructured questionnaires were used to obtain participants' data on demographic and
risk factors. Out of 160 blood samples, 53 (33%) tested positive, which was
statistically significant (p
Full-Text Access Notice
In accordance with the NERD Policy on promoting peer-reviewed publication, public access to the full text of a project, thesis or dissertation is restricted for three years, allowing the author and supervisors sufficient time to pursue peer-reviewed publication.
During this period, researchers with legitimate academic or research purposes may request authorisation directly from the author to enable NERD to release the indexed full texts of the work using the form below.