When investigating a case of leptospirosis, one goal is to try to identify the probably source of infection. How successful this will be depends on the type and amount of information available to the investigator. The table was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
|
Parameter |
Finding |
Points |
|
case under consideration (may be human or animal) |
infecting serovar known (based on culture and identification) |
6 |
|
|
presumed by serology |
4 |
|
|
unknown |
0 |
|
other cases known locally |
infecting serovar known (based on culture and identification) |
4 |
|
|
presumed by serology |
3 |
|
|
unknown |
1 |
|
animal source of same serovar |
present locally |
5 |
|
|
don't know |
0 |
|
|
absent |
0 |
|
contact of case |
with domestic, farm animals (other than animal source for serovar) |
4 |
|
|
with pets (other than animal source for serovar) |
1 |
|
|
with wild animals (other than animal source for serovar) |
1 |
|
|
with water known to be contaminated |
4 |
|
|
none of the above |
0 |
|
case is part of epidemic or enzootic in progress |
yes |
4 |
|
|
no |
0 |
|
other data available (surveillance, etc.) about potential sources |
yes |
2 |
|
|
no |
0 |
where:
• animal source of same serovar: The table does not state that the person is known to have had contact with the animal.
score =
= SUM(points for all 6 parameters)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 25
|
Score |
Chance of Finding Source of Infection |
|
<= 8 |
poor |
|
8 – 15 |
fair |
|
> 15 |
good |
Specialty: Infectious Diseases
