{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T06:11:14Z","timestamp":1790143874947,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790121600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Leptospirosis is a globally distributed zoonosis, particularly prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions, with epidemic potential during the rainy season. It is caused by pathogenic Leptospira species and produces a wide clinical spectrum, ranging from mild febrile illness to severe, life-threatening disease.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of hospitalized patients with serologically supported leptospirosis in Dur\u00e1n, Guayas province, Ecuador.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Hospital General Dr. Enrique Ortega Moreira between January and June 2023. Patients aged 15 years or older with fever and positive IgM serology for leptospirosis were included. Data were obtained from anonymized medical records. Categorical variables were summarized as frequencies and percentages, and continuous variables as medians with interquartile ranges (IQR). Group comparisons used the Pearson chi-square or Fisher exact test for categorical variables and the Mann\u2013Whitney U test for continuous variables.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Forty-eight patients met the inclusion criteria. Most were male (58.3%) and aged 15\u201339 years (85.5%). The most frequent symptoms were fever (93.8%) and diarrhea (83.3%). The median duration of fever was 17 days (IQR 8\u201321), reaching up to 60 days. Concurrent dengue IgM positivity was identified in 22.9% of patients and was associated with a longer median fever duration (19 vs 16 days; p=0.036). Frequent laboratory abnormalities included hypoalbuminemia (86.4%), hyponatremia (82.9%), hypokalemia (55.3%), thrombocytopenia (54.2%), and anemia (54.2%). The median hospital stay was 7 days (IQR 5\u20138).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Hospitalized leptospirosis cases in Dur\u00e1n during the 2023 rainy season showed frequent gastrointestinal manifestations, laboratory abnormalities, prolonged fever, and substantial dengue IgM positivity. These findings highlight diagnostic challenges in endemic coastal settings and support the need for strengthened surveillance, systematic evaluation of co-circulating infections, and national clinical practice guidelines for leptospirosis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fcimb.2026.1921311","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T05:49:09Z","timestamp":1790142549000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Clinical and epidemiological profile of hospitalized patients with leptospirosis: a cross-sectional study in Dur\u00e1n, Ecuador, 2023"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Diego Edilberto","family":"Pinza Vera","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Medicina Interna, Hospital General Dr. Enrique Ortega Moreira","place":["Dur\u00e1n, Ecuador"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sandra","family":"Chica J\u00e1come","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Medicina Interna, Hospital General Dr. Enrique Ortega Moreira","place":["Dur\u00e1n, Ecuador"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Juan S.","family":"Izquierdo-Condoy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas","place":["Quito, Ecuador"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jorge","family":"Vasconez-Gonzalez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas","place":["Quito, Ecuador"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Esteban","family":"Ortiz-Prado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas","place":["Quito, Ecuador"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"B45","first-page":"350","article-title":"Human leptospirosis in the Caribbean, 1997-2005: characteristics and serotyping of clinical samples from 14 countries","volume":"29","author":"Adesiyun","year":"2011","journal-title":"Rev. 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