Leptospirosis and Scrub Typhus Coinfection of a 50-year-old male: A Case study

The bacterial diseases, leptospirosis and scrub typhus are important causes of acute febrile illness in India and are responsible for high morbidity and mortality. The common epidemiology of the zoonotic diseases creates an opportunity of dual infection. In this study, we describe a medical case of a 50-year-old male who was reported to have high grade fever for 10 days along with chills and coughs and was admitted to the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on November last year. He was reported to suffer from conjunctival congestion, episode of pr bleeding, bowel and bladder incontinence, abdominal distension and pedal edema. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detected IgM antibodies to both leptospirosis and scrub typhus in the serum of the patient indicating dual infection with both bacterial diseases. Timely diagnosis of the patient followed by treatment with the antibiotics and associated medication resulted in complete recovery from both the diseases. As both leptospirosis and scrub typhus present with similar clinical features, co-infection of these two diseases is not uncommon. Cases of dual infections must be therefore considered seriously and choice of therapy should include those drugs that cover for both the infections.