Seroepidemiologic Analysis of Acute Febrile Illness During 1994-1995 in Korea

Song, Jin Won; Baek, Luck Ju; Kim, Sang Hyun; Kim, Se Yeun; Lee, Yong Ju; Song, Ki Joon

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The principal acute febrile diseases reported in autumn, Korea, have been hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), scrub typhus, murine
METHODS
To evaluate the seroepidemiologic patterns of acute febrile illness in Korea, sera were collected from 5330 patients from 1994 to 1995, and examined for antibodies against Hantaan virus, Orientia tsutsuga-mushi, Rickettsia typhi, and Borrelia burgdorf eri by indirect immunofluorescent antibody technique(IFA) and by macroscopic agglutination test for Leptosp ira intero-gans.
RESULTS
Of 640 seropositive cases against O. tsutsu-gamushi, 60% were female; age group of the seventh decade occupied 30%; 89% were reported during October and November. By IFA test, the seropositive rate of murine typhus was 3.5% (187/5330) with high incidence rate (44%) in the period from October to December, and males in their forties and fifties were mostly affected. Cases seropositive for leptospirosis consisted 1% of 5330 acute febrile illness cases. Of 55 seropositive cases, 71% were male; 71% were in their sixties; 78% occurred during the period from August to October. Hantavirus seropositive rate was 12.2% (649/5330) with a high incidence rate (70%) in the period from October to January and males in the thirties were mostly infected. No seropositive case of Lyme disease was present.
CONCLUSION
The above results indicate that hantavirus, O. tsutsugamushi, R. typhi, and L. interogans were the main causative agents of acute febrile diseases during autumn season in Korea.