Abstract

NARANJO, Mariela et al. Study of a leptospirosis outbreak in Honduras after Mitch hurricane and prophylactic potentiality of vax-SPIRAL®. Vaccimonitor [online]. 2007, vol.16, n.3, pp.13-18. ISSN 1025-028X.

Hurricane Mitch affected Central America with vast flooding caused by rainfall resulting in leptospirosis outbreaks. Honduras was one of the most affected countries, where a group of researchers worked in the isolation and confirmation of this outbreak. 68 patients from different locations of Puerto Cortes Department with suspicious symptoms of Leptospirosis were studied. All of them were taken a blood samples for hemoculture and serum obtaining. Microscopic agglutination technique (MAT) was used to identify leptospira strains and to evaluate the protection conferred by vax-SPIRAL® (Cuban leptospiral vaccine) against challenge with the isolated strain and verify the prevalence of leptospira in kidneys and liver. A predominance of male patients was observed in a group between 15-49 years. Municipalities of this department with greater number of cases were San Pedro Sula, La Lima and Chamelecón. The most frequent symptoms were: fever, headache, myalgias, general discomfort among others. More than 80% of individuals manifested presence of rodents in their housing and had contact with accumulated water and domestic animals. The isolated strain of the positive hemoculture was from serogrupo Icterohaemorrhagiae, very virulent in the animal model used. 100% protection of hamsters immunized with vax-SPIRAL® and challenged with the Honduras strain was evidenced while microscopic analysis of immunized animal organs which survived to the challenge at 100% revealed absence of signs characteristic of infection.

Keywords : Leptospirosis; vaccine; serology; diagnosis; classification.

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