Objective Leptospirosis, an infectious disease of humans and animals, is often difficult to diagnose in the clinical situation and in the laboratory. consequently various aspects (mortality, damage to the pancreas, and persistence of leptospires in tissues, notably cns) are not or not well known. This project aims at the investigation of the possible role of leptospires as a cause of death in acute leptospirosis, pancreatic damage in acute leptospirosis, and long term damage to the CNS caused by persisting leptospires. These issues will be investigated bY performing culturing, histopathology and PCR on post mortem tissues of humans and animals. The results of these three methods will be compared. With presently available culturing methods (veterinary Research laboratory (VRL), UK) it is possible to detect acute and chronic infection bY fastitious leptospira serovars. Damage to tissues in particular the pancreas will be investigated bY histopathological methods (Queen Elizabeth Hospital and leptospira laboratorys Barbados (LLB); CAREC, Trinidad) and the presence of leptospires in tissues will be detected by immunofluorescence (VRL). With pcr (Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), NL and LLB) very small quantities of leptospires can be detected in blood and urine (current CEC project, number Ts2-0113-NL) enabling quick and early diagnosis. The method will be adapted for the detection oE leptospirain tissues. The three methods will be performed on Barbados and Trinidad, both endemic areas for leptospirosis, (a) on post mortem tissues of humans who died of an acute disease suspected to be leptospisosis,(b) on humans who died of another cause but having suffered likely or certainly from leptospirosis in the past, (c) on dogs and horses (only in Barbados) that have suffered in the past from leptospisosis. The PCR will be improved (KIT) bY optimizing procedures and by generating new primer sets that are applicable for all pathogenic leptospires. Finally, the diagnostic value of the PCR for leptospisosis as developed in the current project will be evaluated in comparison with culturing and serology in a prospective study on Barbados and Trinidad in patients suspected of leptospisosis. Fields of science social sciencessociologydemographymortalitymedical and health scienceshealth sciencesinfectious diseasesagricultural sciencesanimal and dairy sciencedomestic animals Programme(s) FP3-STD 3 - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of the life sciences and technologies for developing countries, 1990-1994 Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen EU contribution No data Address 63,Mauritskade 1092 AD Amsterdam Netherlands See on map Total cost No data Participants (3) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Ministry og Health Barbados EU contribution No data Address Lower Collymore Rock Bridgeton, St Michael See on map Total cost No data Pan American Health Organisation Barbados EU contribution No data Address 18,Jamaica Blvd Port of Spain See on map Total cost No data Veterinary Research Laboratory United Kingdom EU contribution No data Address Stoney Road Stormont BT4 3SD Belfast See on map Total cost No data
