BackgroundLeptospirosis, a zoonosis associated with potentially fatal consequences, has long been a grossly underreported disease in India. There is no accurate estimate of the problem of leptospirosis in non-endemic areas such as north India.Methods/Principal FindingsIn order to understand the clinical spectrum and risk factors associated with leptospirosis, we carried out a retrospective study in patients with acute febrile illness in north India over the last 5 years (January 2004 to December 2008). There was increased incidence of leptospirosis (11.7% in 2004 to 20.5% in 2008) as diagnosed by IgM ELISA and microscopic agglutination titer in paired acute and convalescent sera. The disease showed a peak during the rainy season (August and September). We followed up 86 cases of leptospirosis regarding their epidemiological pattern, clinical features, laboratory parameters, complications, therapy, and outcome. Mean age of patients was 32.6 years (2.5 years to 78 years) and males (57%) outnumbered females (43%). Infestation of dwellings with rats (53.7%), working in farm lands (44.2%), and contact with animals (62.1%) were commonly observed epidemiological risk factors. Outdoor workers including farmers (32.6%), labourers (11.6%), para-military personnel (2.3%), and sweepers (1.2%) were commonly affected. Modified Faine's criteria could diagnose 76 cases (88.3%). Renal failure (60.5%), respiratory failure (20.9%), the neuroleptospirosis (11.6%), and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) (11.6%) were the commonest complications. Five patients died, giving a case fatality rate of 5.9%.Conclusions/SignificanceThere has been a rapid rise in the incidence of leptospirosis in north India. Severe complications such as renal failure, respiratory failure, neuroleptospirosis, and DIC are being seen with increasing frequency. Increased awareness among physicians, and early diagnosis and treatment, may reduce mortality due to leptospirosis.

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RAPD assays were performed, using 34 arbitrary decamer oligonucleotide primers and six combinations of two primers, to detect inherent variations and genetic relationships among 12 Indian and 11 exotic B. juncea genotypes. Of 595 amplification products identified, 500 of them were polymorphic across all genotypes. A low level of genetic variability was detected among the Indian genotypes, while considerable polymorphism was present among the exotic ones. Based on the pair-wise comparisons of amplification products the genetic similarity was calculated using Jaccard's similarity coefficients and a dendrogram was constructed using an unweighted pair group method was arithmetical averages (UPGMA). On the basis of this analysis the genotypes were clustered into two groups, A and B. Group A comprised only exotic genotypes, whereas all the Indian genotypes and four of the exotic genotypes were clustered in group B. Almost similar genotypic rankings could also be established by computing as few as 200 amplification products. In general, a high per cent of heterosis was recorded in crosses involving Indian x exotic genotypes. On the other hand, when crosses were made amongst Indian or exotic genotypes, about 80% of them exhibited negative heterosis. Results from this study indicate that, despite the lack of direct correlation between the genetic distance and the degree of heterosis, genetic diversity forms a very useful guide not only for investigating the relationships among Brassica genotypes but also in the selection of parents for heterotic hybrid combinations.

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