An outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits, Hulu Perdik, Malaysia
Here, we investigated an outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits that occurred following a survival exercise in the Hulu Perdik forest within the Hulu Langat district, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Blood samples from the 12 patients that presented symptoms for febrile illness on clinical...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer
2019
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/80619/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/80619/1/LEPTOS.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848858925963673600 |
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| author | Vasantha Kumari, Neela Mohd Desa, Mohd Nasir Sither Joseph Vesudian, Narcisse Mary Sekawi, Zamberi Mustapha, Nooreen Farzana Mohd-Taib, Farah Shafawati Ishak, Siti Nabilah Yusof, Muhammad Afif Bashiru, Garba Philip, Noraini Ramli, Siti Nur Alia Azhar, Natasya Joseph, Narcisse |
| author_facet | Vasantha Kumari, Neela Mohd Desa, Mohd Nasir Sither Joseph Vesudian, Narcisse Mary Sekawi, Zamberi Mustapha, Nooreen Farzana Mohd-Taib, Farah Shafawati Ishak, Siti Nabilah Yusof, Muhammad Afif Bashiru, Garba Philip, Noraini Ramli, Siti Nur Alia Azhar, Natasya Joseph, Narcisse |
| author_sort | Vasantha Kumari, Neela |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Here, we investigated an outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits that occurred following a survival exercise in the Hulu Perdik forest within the Hulu Langat district, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Blood samples from the 12 patients that presented symptoms for febrile illness on clinical examination were subjected to laboratory investigation, comprising Lepto IgM rapid test, IgM ELISA, and microscopic agglutination test (MAT). All these patients were interviewed for possible risk factors for leptospirosis. Rodent trapping and environmental sampling for possible isolation of leptospires in the outbreak site was performed. The isolated leptospires were genetically characterized and investigated for the potential epidemiological link with human leptospirosis. Among the 12 patients, two (2/12; 16.6%) were confirmed positive for leptospirosis by microscopic agglutination test (MAT with titers 400-800; serovar autumnalis and hardjobovis). Two Leptospira species from rodents (L. interrogans and L. borgpetersenii) and two from the environment (L. kmetyi and L. wolffii) were identified. The possible epidemiological link between human serovars and animal Leptospira species indicates rodents as the potential reservoir while the environment (soil and water) serves as a transmission route. This investigation highlights the robust presence of pathogenic leptospires on Malaysian environment and rodents which may present the risk of infection, especially among high-risk individuals. Hence, occupational risk individuals are cautioned to observe appropriate preventive measures including prophylaxis and seek immediate medical attention for any illness following similar activities. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T12:21:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-80619 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T12:21:12Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publisher | Springer |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-806192020-11-05T20:29:12Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/80619/ An outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits, Hulu Perdik, Malaysia Vasantha Kumari, Neela Mohd Desa, Mohd Nasir Sither Joseph Vesudian, Narcisse Mary Sekawi, Zamberi Mustapha, Nooreen Farzana Mohd-Taib, Farah Shafawati Ishak, Siti Nabilah Yusof, Muhammad Afif Bashiru, Garba Philip, Noraini Ramli, Siti Nur Alia Azhar, Natasya Joseph, Narcisse Here, we investigated an outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits that occurred following a survival exercise in the Hulu Perdik forest within the Hulu Langat district, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Blood samples from the 12 patients that presented symptoms for febrile illness on clinical examination were subjected to laboratory investigation, comprising Lepto IgM rapid test, IgM ELISA, and microscopic agglutination test (MAT). All these patients were interviewed for possible risk factors for leptospirosis. Rodent trapping and environmental sampling for possible isolation of leptospires in the outbreak site was performed. The isolated leptospires were genetically characterized and investigated for the potential epidemiological link with human leptospirosis. Among the 12 patients, two (2/12; 16.6%) were confirmed positive for leptospirosis by microscopic agglutination test (MAT with titers 400-800; serovar autumnalis and hardjobovis). Two Leptospira species from rodents (L. interrogans and L. borgpetersenii) and two from the environment (L. kmetyi and L. wolffii) were identified. The possible epidemiological link between human serovars and animal Leptospira species indicates rodents as the potential reservoir while the environment (soil and water) serves as a transmission route. This investigation highlights the robust presence of pathogenic leptospires on Malaysian environment and rodents which may present the risk of infection, especially among high-risk individuals. Hence, occupational risk individuals are cautioned to observe appropriate preventive measures including prophylaxis and seek immediate medical attention for any illness following similar activities. Springer 2019 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/80619/1/LEPTOS.pdf Vasantha Kumari, Neela and Mohd Desa, Mohd Nasir and Sither Joseph Vesudian, Narcisse Mary and Sekawi, Zamberi and Mustapha, Nooreen Farzana and Mohd-Taib, Farah Shafawati and Ishak, Siti Nabilah and Yusof, Muhammad Afif and Bashiru, Garba and Philip, Noraini and Ramli, Siti Nur Alia and Azhar, Natasya and Joseph, Narcisse (2019) An outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits, Hulu Perdik, Malaysia. European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, 38 (3). pp. 523-528. ISSN 0934-9723; ESSN: 1435-4373 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30680558/ 10.1007/s10096-018-03450-6 |
| spellingShingle | Vasantha Kumari, Neela Mohd Desa, Mohd Nasir Sither Joseph Vesudian, Narcisse Mary Sekawi, Zamberi Mustapha, Nooreen Farzana Mohd-Taib, Farah Shafawati Ishak, Siti Nabilah Yusof, Muhammad Afif Bashiru, Garba Philip, Noraini Ramli, Siti Nur Alia Azhar, Natasya Joseph, Narcisse An outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits, Hulu Perdik, Malaysia |
| title | An outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits, Hulu Perdik, Malaysia |
| title_full | An outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits, Hulu Perdik, Malaysia |
| title_fullStr | An outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits, Hulu Perdik, Malaysia |
| title_full_unstemmed | An outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits, Hulu Perdik, Malaysia |
| title_short | An outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits, Hulu Perdik, Malaysia |
| title_sort | outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits, hulu perdik, malaysia |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/80619/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/80619/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/80619/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/80619/1/LEPTOS.pdf |