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. 2016 Jan;94(1):236-42.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.15-0400. Epub 2015 Oct 5.

Hospital-Based Surveillance for Infectious Etiologies Among Patients with Acute Febrile Illness in Georgia, 2008-2011

Tinatin Kuchuloria  1 , Paata Imnadze  2 , Nana Mamuchishvili  2 , Maiko Chokheli  2 , Tengiz Tsertsvadze  2 , Marina Endeladze  2 , Ketevan Mshvidobadze  2 , Lana Gatserelia  2 , Manana Makhviladze  2 , Marine Kanashvili  2 , Teona Mikautadze  2 , Alexander Nanuashvili  2 , Khatuni Kiknavelidze  2 , Nora Kokaia  2 , Manana Makharadze  2 , Danielle V Clark  2 , Christian T Bautista  2 , Margaret Farrell  2 , Moustafa Abdel Fadeel  2 , Mohamed Abdel Maksoud  2 , Guillermo Pimentel  2 , Brent House  2 , Matthew J Hepburn  2 , Robert G Rivard  2
Affiliations

Hospital-Based Surveillance for Infectious Etiologies Among Patients with Acute Febrile Illness in Georgia, 2008-2011

Tinatin Kuchuloria et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2016 Jan.

Abstract

Information on the infectious causes of undifferentiated acute febrile illness (AFI) in Georgia is essential for effective treatment and prevention. In May 2008, a hospital-based AFI surveillance was initiated at six hospitals in Georgia. Patients aged ≥ 4 years with fever ≥ 38°C for ≥ 48 hours were eligible for surveillance. Blood culture and serologic testing were conducted for Leptospira spp., Brucella spp., West Nile virus (WNV), Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, Coxiella burnetii, tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), hantavirus, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi), and Rickettsia typhi. Of 537 subjects enrolled, 70% were outpatients, 54% were males, and the mean age was 37 years. Patients reported having fatigue (89%), rigors (87%), sweating (83%), pain in joints (49%), and sleep disturbances (42%). Thirty-nine (7%) patients were seropositive for R. typhi, 37 (7%) for Brucella spp., 36 (7%) for TBEV, 12 (2%) for Leptospira spp., 10 (2%) for C. burnetii, and three (0.6%) for S. Typhi. None of the febrile patients tested positive for WNV antibodies. Of the patients, 73% were negative for all pathogens. Our results indicate that most of the targeted pathogens are present in Georgia, and highlight the importance of enhancing laboratory capacity for these infectious diseases.

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Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Map of Georgia.
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