Current Evidences and Clinical Perspectives of Pediatric Leptospirosis in India: A Narrative Review
Shyamala Ravikoti1, Sekkulandai Kuppuswamy Mohanasundari2*, Priya Mani3 and K. Sravanthi4
1Department of Microbiology, AIIMS Bibinagar, Hyderabad, Telangana India 2Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, AIIMS Bibinagar, Hyderabad, India 3College of Nursing, AIIMS Mangalagiri, India 4Senior Resident, Department of Microbiology, AIIMS Bibinagar. Hyderabad, India
*Corresponding author
Abstract:
Pediatric leptospirosis is an underrecognized yet important cause of acute febrile illness in India, particularly during monsoon seasons. Overlapping clinical features with dengue, malaria, enteric fever, and scrub typhus, coupled with limited access to early diagnostics, contribute to delayed diagnosis and increased morbidity in children. This narrative review synthesizes current Indian evidence on pediatric leptospirosis, focusing on epidemiology, regional prevalence, clinical spectrum, diagnostic strategies, management approaches, complications, mortality, and emerging clinical perspectives. A narrative review approach was adopted to integrate data from Indian pediatric studies, outbreak reports, hospital-based cohorts, and case series, including recent literature highlighting diagnostic and clinical advancements. This approach was justified due to heterogeneity of study designs, regional variability, and limited pediatric-specific randomized trials. Pediatric leptospirosis in India demonstrates marked regional and seasonal variation, with highest burden in southern and coastal states. Clinical presentation ranges from mild febrile illness to severe multisystem disease with renal, hepatic, pulmonary, cardiac, and neurological involvement. Advances in molecular diagnostics, particularly PCR, have improved early detection, while prompt antimicrobial therapy and intensive supportive care have reduced mortality in tertiary centers. Early clinical suspicion, improved diagnostic access, and timely multidisciplinary management are crucial to improving outcomes in pediatric leptospirosis. Strengthening surveillance and pediatric-focused research is essential to address this neglected tropical disease in India.
Keywords: Pediatric leptospirosis, Leptospira Species, hemorrhage
References:
- Rajajee S, Shankar J, Dhattatri L. Pediatric presentations of leptospirosis. Indian J Pediatr. 2002 Oct; 69(10): 851–853. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02723704.
- Verma B, Daga SR, Sawant D. Leptospirosis in children. Indian Pediatr. 2003 Nov; 40(11): 1081–1083. PMID: 14660841.
- Zaki SA, Shanbag P. Clinical manifestations of dengue and leptospirosis in children in Mumbai: an observational study. Infection. 2010 Aug; 38(4): 285–291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-010-0030-3.
- Ye?ilba? O, K?ht?r HS, Y?ld?r?m HM, Hatipo?lu N, ?evketo?lu E. Pediatric fulminant leptospirosis complicated by pericardial tamponade, macrophage activation syndrome and sclerosing cholangitis. Balkan Med J. 2016; 33(5): 578–580. https://doi.org/10.5152/balkanmedj.2016.151240.
- Kamath N, Iyengar A. Infections and the kidney: a tale from the tropics. Pediatr Nephrol. 2018 Aug; 33(8): 1317–1326. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-017-3785-2.
- Gowda VK, Gupta P, Shivappa SK, Bhat M. Basal ganglia autoimmune encephalitis following leptospirosis. Neurol India. 2022; 70(5): 2121–2124. https://doi.org/10.4103/0028-3886.359156.
- Döneray H, Keskin H, Akat H, Ba?aslan ?H, Ba?at?r P?. Pediatric leptospirosis: a case report and review of literature. Eurasian J Med. 2023 Dec; 55(1): 150–156. https://doi.org/10.5152/eurasianjmed.2023.23380.
- Jacob SM, Geethalakshmi S, Karthikeyan S, Durairaj A, Gopal P, Ramamoorthy V, Arumugam G, Elumalai S. A 3-year retrospective analysis on the prevalence of antileptospiral antibodies among children in Chennai city, India. J Med Microbiol. 2018 Dec; 67(12): 1706–1710. https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.000825.
- Narayanan R, Sumathi G, Prabhakaran SG, Shanmughapriya S, Natarajaseenivasan K. Paediatric leptospirosis: a population based case-control study from Chennai, India. Indian J Med Microbiol. 2016 Apr?Jun; 34(2): 228–232. https://doi.org/10.4103/0255-0857.180353.
- Karande S, Kulkarni H, Kulkarni M, De A, Varaiya A. Leptospirosis in children in Mumbai slums. Indian J Pediatr. 2002 Oct; 69(10): 855–858. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02723705.
- Shah K, Amonkar GP, Kamat RN, Deshpande JR. Cardiac findings in leptospirosis. J Clin Pathol. 2010 Feb; 63(2): 119–123. https://doi.org/10.1136/jcp.2009.069575.
- Tandale BV, Tomar SJ, Bondre VP, Sapkal GN, Damle RG, Narang R, et al., Infectious causes of acute encephalitis syndrome hospitalizations in Central India, 2018–20. J Clin Virol. 2022 Aug; 153: 105194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcv.2022.105194.
- Manjunathachar HV, Barde PV, Chouksey V, Tiwari P, Mathapati B, Shrivastava S, Chakma T. Leptospirosis in central India: a retrospective study to explore burden of tropical illness. Indian J Med Microbiol. 2024 Sep?Oct; 51: 100689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmmb.2024.100689. PMID: 39067858.
- Chaudhry R, Das A, Premlatha MM, Choudhary A, Chourasia BK, Chandel DS, Dey AB. Serological & molecular approaches for diagnosis of leptospirosis in a tertiary care hospital in north India: a 10?year study. Indian J Med Res. 2013 Apr; 137(4): 785–790. PMID: 23703348; PMCID: PMC3724261.
- Jahan A, Bhargava P, Kalyan RK, Verma SK, Gupta KK, Inbaraj S, Agarwal A. Serological and molecular study of Leptospira in pediatric patients at a tertiary care centre of northern India. Indian J Med Microbiol. 2021 Apr; 39(2): 245–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmmb.2021.03.010. PMID: 33858704.
- Vijayachari P, Sugunan AP, Sharma S, Roy S, Natarajaseenivasan K, Sehgal SC. Leptospirosis among schoolchildren of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India: low levels of morbidity and mortality among pre?exposed children during an epidemic. Epidemiol Infect. 2004 Dec; 132(6): 1115–1120. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268804002948. PMID: 15635969.
- Jena AB, Mohanty KC, Devadasan N. An outbreak of leptospirosis in Orissa, India: the importance of surveillance. Trop Med Int Health. 2004 Sep; 9(9): 1016–1021. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365?3156.2004.01293.x
- Gurumurthy K, Narasimha HB, Wyawahare M, Biswal N. Leptospirosis: a diagnostic conundrum. Trop Doct. 2018 Oct; 48(4): 306–309. https://doi.org/10.1177/0049475518788470.
Download this article as
How to cite this article:
Shyamala Ravikoti, Sekkulandai Kuppuswamy Mohanasundari, Priya Mani and Sravanthi K. 2025. Current Evidences and Clinical Perspectives of Pediatric Leptospirosis in India: A Narrative Review
Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci. 14(12): 277-284. doi:
https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2025.1412.025
Citations