Immunological Diagnosis Of Common Infections Causing Prolonged Fever In Egypt

typhoid fever is considered one of the most serious infectious diseases which affect public health. Estimates for the year 2000 suggest there are approximately 21.5 million infections and 200,000 deaths from typhoid fever globally each year. In Egypt the estimated incidence of typhoid fever was calculated to be 13 cases per 100,000 persons per year in Bilbeis district (population 664,000) in Lower Egypt. Also the results of population-based surveillance in Fayoum governate indicate that incidence of typhoid fever was 59 cases per 100,000 persons per year.Brucellosis is endemic in the middle East. In Egypt, a study found that 11% of the population had serological evidence of infection with Brucella spp., while a study of acute febrile illnesses found that 3% of all bacteraemias were caused by the organism.Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a major health problem, particularly in developing countries. In 2006, 9.2 million new active disease cases (4.1 million being sputum smear-positive) corresponding to an estimated incidence of 139 per 100,000 population occurred throughout the world. The highest incidence rate (363 per 100,000 population) was recorded for the African region, mainly due to high prevalence of HIV infection. According to a 1997 report from the Egyptian National Tuberculosis Program, revealed that the incidence of smear-positive cases in Egypt is 16 per 100,000 population, with a rate of detection of new smear-positive cases of 70%.Human Q fever has been reported from all parts of the world. Serological tests in man and animal suggest that infections are more frequent in tropical than in temperate climates. In Egypt antibodies against Coxiella burnetii were estimated in 150 patients with pyrexia of unknown origin and 30 normal individuals in North Sinai over the 2006 by indirect immounofluorescence assay. C. burnetii IFA antibodies (IgM & IgG) in patients were 8 (5.3%) and a healthy control (3.3%). The overall was 9 of 180 (5.0%).Infectious mononucleosis (IM) is caused by the Epstein Barr virus (EBV), which infects more than 98% of the world’s adult population .The overall clinical incidence is 45/100 000 and it is particularly common in adolescence.Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the commonest cause of chronic meningitis in the developing world and is estimated to constitute about 10% of cases of tuberculosis. Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) in Egypt, being one of the most common causes of bacterial meningitis and being associated with a high mortality (47%) and it continues to be a significant public health problem in Egypt.