Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
New ELISA test using Q5 protein to detect dog visceral leishmaniasis
By Larissa Ferreira de Araújo Paz et al.·Published in Veterinary Sciences·2023·Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Pernambuco, Recife 50100-010, Brazil, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Diagnostic Potential for the Detection of Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis of an ELISA Assay Based on the Q5 Recombinant Protein: A Large-Scale and Comparative Evaluation Using Canine Sera with a Positive Diagnosis from the Dual-Path-Platform (DPP) Test
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs suspected of having canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) were tested using a new blood test based on a recombinant protein called Q5. This study found that while the Q5 test and a commonly used test (EIE-LVC) both showed lower sensitivity overall, the Q5 test was much more accurate for dogs showing symptoms of the disease, identifying 92% of those cases correctly. However, many asymptomatic dogs tested positive on the rapid DPP test, suggesting it may produce false positives. The findings indicate that new tests like the Q5 could improve the diagnosis of CVL in dogs, which is important for controlling this serious disease.
People also search for: dog leishmaniasis symptoms · canine visceral leishmaniasis treatment · false positive dog blood test
Abstract
Dogs are considered the major domestic reservoir for human visceral leishmaniasis, a serious disease caused by the <i>Leishmania infantum</i> parasite. Diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) is critical for disease control, with several methods currently available. Among the serological tests, the DPP rapid test and the EIE-LVC, more commonly used in Brazil, are associated with variable sensitivity and specificity. Research with novel recombinant proteins such as the ELISA with the recombinant chimeric protein Q5 may therefore improve the CVL diagnosis. This study aimed to evaluate the true diagnostic potential of Q5 in an ELISA assay using a large number of CVL-suspected sera (406) with a previous positive diagnosis based on the rapid DPP test. Sera from the DPP-positive dogs, also assessed with the EIE-LVC test, were compared with sera from healthy dogs (n = 46) and used for ELISA tests using the recombinant Q5. The resulting data as well as the correlation with the clinical signs and the environmental characteristics of the animals were analyzed using Medal and GraphPad Prism 8.0. Overall, similar levels of lower sensitivity (67–68%) were seen for both the commercial EIE-LVC test and the Q5 ELISA when all assessed sera were considered, but a much greater sensitivity (92%) was seen for those samples from symptomatic dogs only. In contrast, many negative results were observed for the DPP-positive sera from asymptomatic dogs or those with no clinical information available. A selection of those sera were tested yet again in new ELISA assays using a second batch of the recombinant Q5, purified under milder denaturing conditions, as well as using another recombinant protein (Lci13). The results reveal a higher-than-expected incidence of likely false-positive results for DPP, reinforcing the need for other recombinant proteins, such as the chimeric Q5, to be investigated as possible alternatives to the currently used CVL diagnostic methods.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10100608