Case definitions in Leptospirosis: a note to Sri Lankan researchers

Abstract

Leptospirosis is emerging as a major public health threat in Sri Lanka. Though there are gaps in research in the field of leptospirosis in Sri Lanka, an increase in research output has been observed since 2008. In contrast to research in other major infectious diseases, investigations in the field of leptospirosis are hampered by the unavailability of diagnostic facilities within the country. Because of this resource limitation, it is difficult to conduct research based on confirmed cases in the Sri Lankan setting. On reviewing published literature during the period 2007-2012, it was obvious that proper case definitions were not used in most published studies. The purpose of this letter is to provide an overview of internationally accepted diagnostic case definitions for leptospirosis based on World Health Organizations’ Leptospirosis Epidemiology Reference Group consensus1 . The use of these case definitions in future studies will be helpful for all Sri Lankan researchers to understand and interpret their data.