Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Accurate blood test for diagnosing Leishmania infection in dogs
By Fujimori, Mahyumi et al.·Published in Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz·2021·Instituto de Medicina Tropical da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sã·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Validation of ELISA with recombinant antigens in serological diagnosis of canine Leishmania infantum infection.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that a new blood test for diagnosing Leishmania infantum infection in dogs showed promising results. This test, using specific Leishmania proteins, was able to correctly identify around 97% of infected dogs and had a 100% accuracy rate for healthy dogs. Compared to existing tests, this new method detected about 10% more cases of infection. This could help veterinarians better diagnose and treat dogs with this serious disease, which is important for controlling its spread.
People also search for: dog Leishmania symptoms · blood test for dog Leishmania · how to treat Leishmania in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Dogs are the main peridomiciliary reservoir of Leishmania infantum thus the correct diagnosis of infection is essential for the control of the transmission and treatment as well. However, the diagnosis is based on serological assays that are not fully effective. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to establish an effective serological assay for the diagnosis of L. infantum infected dogs using Leishmania-derived recombinant antigens. METHODS: Leishmania derived rK39-, rK28-, rKR95-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was standardized using symptomatic and asymptomatic L. infantum-infected dogs. Then 2,530 samples from inquiry in endemic areas for VL were evaluated and the results compared with recommended assays by the Brazilian Ministry of Health (MH algorithm). Further samples from a cohort of 30 dogs were searched. FINDINGS: For rK39-, rK28- and rKR95-ELISA the sensitivity was around 97% and specificity 100%. The positivity of these three ELISA in the inquiry samples was 27-28%, around 10% higher than the assays currently in use. When cohort samples were searched, we observed likely false-negative results (> 65%) with supposedly negative samples that turned positive six months later with the assays in use (MH algorithm). MAIN CONCLUSIONS: For the diagnosis of L. infantum-infected dogs, rK39-based ELISA showed better diagnostic performance than other assays in use in Brazil and worldwide.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33729396/