A
US based health organisation is working closely with Lifeassay Diagnostics to screen
patients in Haiti and Puerto Rico for the potential deadly disease
Leptospirosis. The rapid diagnostic test (RDT) manufactured by Lifeassay is used
in the initial diagnosis of leptospirosis both in the field and in a laboratory
setting.
The
test has already been evaluated extensively in various parts of the world and a
number of scientific publications bear witness to its excellent performance
compared to conventional laboratory testing methods.
Lifeassay’s
leptospira RDT has the ability to exclude leptospirosis as one of the acute
febrile illnesses and is therefore a vital tool in making a differential
diagnosis of this important zoonotic disease.
Since
Leptospirosis is endemic throughout the Caribbean Basin and Central America, a
negative test does not necessarily exclude the disease, and therefore Lifeassay
advocates repeat testing of highly suspect cases.
Because
leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease, infection occurs through contact of mucous
membranes and skin with urine or tissues from infected animals, contaminated fresh
water (usually contamination is with urine from infected animals) and extremely
rarely person-to-person transmission. Outbreaks occur during rainy seasons and often
after flooding. In the Caribbean, outbreaks have been reported after
hurricanes.
It
is because of the many non-specific symptoms of leptospirosis and the fact that
it can be fatal, that it is vital to include leptospirosis as part of the differential
diagnosis of acute febrile illnesses. Differential diagnoses are broad and
include malaria, typhus, typhoid fever, dengue fever, meningococcal disease,
viral hepatitis, leptospirosis and influenza.
For more information, visit http://www.lifeassay.com/
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