Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How ELISA blood tests detect visceral leishmaniasis in dogs
By Rosário, Eliza Yoshie do et al.·Published in Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz·2005·Departamento de Parasitologia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using crude Leishmania and recombinant antigens as a diagnostic marker for canine visceral leishmaniasis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs in Brazil suspected of having leishmaniasis (a disease caused by a parasite) were tested for antibodies using different types of blood samples. Out of 115 dogs that showed signs of infection, 106 were confirmed to have the disease through further testing. The tests using both crude and recombinant antigens were highly effective, with sensitivities reaching 97-100%. While both types of antigens worked well, the study found that the crude antigens were just as effective as the recombinant ones in identifying infected dogs. This means that veterinarians can use these tests to help diagnose leishmaniasis in dogs more accurately.
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Abstract
The performances of ELISA assays with different antigen preparations, such as Leishmania amazonensis or L. chagasi lysates and the recombinant antigens rK-39 and rK-26, were compared using sera or eluates from dried blood collected on filter paper to detect anti-Leishmania antibodies in dogs from a visceral leishmaniasis-endemic area in Brazil. Of 115 IFAT-reactive dogs at 1:40 titre, 106 (92.2%) were positive in parasitological exams (skin and/or spleen). These animals were compared to healthy animals (n = 25), negative for IFAT at a titre of 1:40 and parasitological exams. The sensitivities of crude and recombinant antigens were similar and remarkably high for both sera and eluates (97-100%). Specificity was higher than 96% for sera and eluates for different antigens, except for L. chagasi antigen using eluates (88%). Concordance values among the tests were higher either for sera or eluates (J = 0.95-1.00). High concordances were observed between sera and eluates tested with different antigens (kappa = 0.93-0.97). Crude and recombinant antigens identified different clinical phases of canine leishmaniasis. These results show that eluates could be used in canine surveys to identify L. chagasi infection. Recombinant antigens added little when compared to crude antigen in identifying positive dogs. Cross-reactivity with other diseases whose distribution often overlaps VL-endemic areas is a limitation of crude antigen use however.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16021309/