Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How well recombinant protein lbk39 detects leishmaniosis in dogs
By Pereira, Joyce Carvalho et al.·Published in Parasitology·2021·Federal University of Paraná, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The efficacy of recombinant protein lbk39 for the diagnosis of leishmaniosis in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that a new test using a protein called Lbk39 can effectively diagnose leishmaniosis in dogs, a serious disease that can also affect humans. The test showed 100% sensitivity, meaning it correctly identified all dogs with the disease, and 96.1% specificity, meaning it rarely gave false positives. This is important for deciding whether to treat infected dogs or consider euthanasia to control the spread of the disease. The Lbk39 test could be a valuable tool for veterinarians in areas where leishmaniosis is common.
People also search for: dog leishmaniosis symptoms · leishmaniosis treatment for dogs · how to diagnose leishmaniosis in dogs
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniosis is one of the most important zoonotic diseases on the planet and dogs are the main reservoir of canine visceral leishmaniosis (CVL) in endemic areas. They play an important role in human infection because in dogs the disease appears long time after infection, and they can move uncontrollably, contributing to disperse the parasite. To take the decision to treat the animals or for euthanasia, in an elimination programme, in order to reduce the parasitic load, it is necessary to diagnose correctly, having more effective tools. Our group has developed a new recombinant antigen-based kinesin-related gene of Leishmania braziliensis (Lbk39), which shows 59% amino acid identity to the L. infantum homologue. The Lbk39 gene was synthesized, inserted into the pLEXSY-sat2 vector and transfected into L. tarentolae cells by electroporation. The recombinant protein was secreted in the culture with a C-terminal histidine marker, purified, generating a product at 337.68 μg mL-1. A total of 152 sera from dog's endemic and non-endemic areas were used, being 78 positives and 75 negatives. The antigen Lbk39 showed 100% sensitivity and 96.1% specificity. We compared this antigen with other antigens such as total extract of the parasite, TRDPP, and our data indicate that Lbk39 has potential application in the diagnosis of CVL through antibody detection.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33070782/