Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

The etiology of fever in rural Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) has remained obscure until recently owing to the lack of laboratory facilities. We conducted a study to determine the causes of fever among 229 patients without malaria in Savannakhet Province, southern Laos; 52% had evidence of at least one diagnosis (45% with single and 7% with apparent multiple infections). Among patients with only one diagnosis, dengue (30.1%) was the most common, followed by leptospirosis (7.0%), Japanese encephalitis virus infection (3.5%), scrub typhus (2.6%), spotted fever group infection (0.9%), unspecified flavivirus infection (0.9%), and murine typhus (0.4%). We discuss the empirical treatment of fever in relation to these findings.

Original publication

DOI

10.4269/ajtmh.14-0772

Type

Journal article

Journal

Am J Trop Med Hyg

Publication Date

09/2015

Volume

93

Pages

517 - 520

Keywords

Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Boutonneuse Fever, Child, Child, Preschool, Dengue, Encephalitis, Japanese, Female, Fever, Flavivirus Infections, Humans, Infant, Laos, Leptospirosis, Male, Middle Aged, Rural Population, Scrub Typhus, Young Adult