TY - JOUR T1 - Outbreak of leptospirosis during a scout camp in the Luxembourg Belgian province, Belgium, summer 2012. JF - Epidemiol Infect Y1 - 2015 A1 - Marcella Mori A1 - M Van Esbroeck A1 - Depoorter, S A1 - Decaluwe, W A1 - Vandecasteele, S J A1 - David Fretin A1 - Reynders, M KW - ADOLESCENT KW - Animals KW - Anorexia KW - Arvicolinae KW - Belgium KW - Child KW - Conjunctivitis KW - Cough KW - Creatinine KW - Disease Outbreaks KW - Disease Reservoirs KW - Headache KW - Humans KW - Leptospirosis KW - Male KW - Myalgia KW - Proteinuria KW - Recreation KW - rivers KW - Vomiting AB -

An outbreak of leptospirosis occurred in the South of Belgium, during August 2012, in teenagers who participated in two consecutive adventure scout camps near the Semois river. Among the symptomatic patient population (ten scouts), clinical manifestations included headache (70%), myalgia (50%), fever (50%), bilateral conjunctival injection (50%), general malaise (30%), vomiting (20%), anorexia (20%) and cough (20%). Some of the cases presented elevated blood creatinine (40%), or proteinuria (30%). Three patients were confirmed by serology and one by polymerase chain reaction. Potential risk factors included direct contact with a muskrat and indirect contact with potentially contaminated environments including the river water. Prospective environmental investigation carried out near the river banks 2 weeks after the outbreak identified Ondatra zibethicus (muskrat) as one Leptospira sp. reservoir.

VL - 143 CP - 8 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25311398?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.1017/S0950268814002763 ER -