The federal capital has witnessed two cases of an exceptionally rare infectious disease, Leptospirosis, with a 23-year-old man succumbing to the illness and a woman successfully recovering after treatment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, a national daily has reported.
Prof. Dr. Nasim Akhtar, head of the infectious diseases department, emphasized the rarity of Leptospirosis cases in Pakistan, characterizing it as an uncommon bacterial disease. Leptospirosis, caused by the bacterium Leptospira, is a zoonotic and waterborne disease that is emerging as a global public threat due to observed morbidity and mortality in both animals and humans.
Dr. Nasim Akhtar highlighted that outbreaks are typically associated with floods following monsoon rains, during which Leptospira bacteria are washed off in contaminated soil and often settle in water bodies.
The rarity of the disease is underscored by the unavailability of PCR tests for the detection and confirmation of Leptospira in Pakistan, along with a lack of Leptospira antibody tests at PIMS and the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad.
After clinical diagnoses, samples from both patients were sent to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology for confirmation, where a ‘four-fold rise in Leptospira antibodies’ confirmed the infection by this extremely rare pathogen.
While emphasizing the treatability of Leptospirosis with available antibiotics, Dr. Nasim Akhtar called for the provision of Leptospira PCR and antibody tests at PIMS and NIH Islamabad for timely detection and confirmation, aiding physicians in treating and saving lives.
Both patients exhibited ‘ischemic changes’ in their legs and face, along with gangrene-like wounds in their hands and feet, a manifestation considered unusual in cases of Leptospira infection.
Officials at NIH Islamabad acknowledged their lack of facilities to detect Leptospira antibodies but clarified that they never received any requests from public health authorities for suspected cases. The NIH official suggested that PIMS could procure kits for ELISA testing, a common technique for antibody detection, as they likely possess the necessary equipment.
Despite being required to conduct public health testing and advanced tests, NIH officials confirmed no knowledge of any confirmed cases of Leptospirosis reported by PIMS, emphasizing the disease’s rarity in diagnoses.
