Research and Reports in Tropical Medicine (Dec 2021)
Are Pathogenic Leptospira a Possible Cause of Aseptic Meningitis in Suspected Children in Sudan?
Abstract
Nada Abdelghani Abdelrahim,1 Imad Mohammed Fadl-Elmula,2 Rudy A Hartskeerl,3 Ahmed Ahmed,3 Marga Goris3 1Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Nile University, Khartoum, Sudan; 2Department of Pathology & Clinical Genetics, Al-Neelain University and Assafa Academy, Khartoum, Sudan; 3OIE and National Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis, Department of Medical Microbiology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, NetherlandsCorrespondence: Nada Abdelghani Abdelrahim Tel +249 9 2275-1673Email [email protected]: Clinical presentations of leptospirosis are diverse, with meningitis easily confused with other microbial causes. We aimed to investigate the involvement of pathogenic leptospira in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of meningitis-suspected children in Sudan.Methods: A total of 153 CSF specimens were collected over 5 months from patients attending a reference pediatric hospital in Omdurman, Sudan. All patients had provisionally been diagnosed with meningitis on admission. Demographic, clinical, and conventional laboratory findings were obtained. DNA was extracted using a QIAamp mini kit, and the secY gene investigated using real-time PCR.Results: Nine of 153 (6%) CSF specimens were positive for pathogenic leptospiral DNA. All these patients were male (seven infants and two toddlers aged ˂4 years). Typical conventional laboratory findings for aseptic meningitis (ie, CSF turbidity/pleocytosis, normal or reduced CSF glucose, normal or elevated proteins) were seen in five (56%). All patients presented with fever and seizures, 56% vomiting and stiff neck, and 29% bulging fontanel. Most (67%) patients presented in summer (March to May). Polymicrobial infections were identified in three patients (33%).Conclusion: We conclude that pathogenic leptospira are probably a common cause of meningitis in children in Sudan; therefore, we recommend including leptospirosis in the differential diagnosis of CNS infections and other undifferentiated febrile illnesses in this country.Keywords: leptospirosis, infectious meningitis, PCR, pediatrics, Africa
