Cb. Palatnikdesousa et al., LEISHMANIA-DONOVANI - TITRATION OF ANTIBODIES TO THE FUCOSE-MANNOSE LIGAND AS AN AID IN DIAGNOSIS AND PROGNOSIS OF VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS, Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 89(4), 1995, pp. 390-393
Citations number
25
Categorie Soggetti
Public, Environmental & Occupation Heath","Tropical Medicine
The fucose-mannose ligand (FML) is a complex glycoprotein fraction pre
sent on promastigotes and amastigotes of Leishmania donovani. It parti
cipates in parasite interaction with host macrophages in a species-spe
cific pattern. We have tested its use in immunodiagnosis of visceral l
eishmaniasis (VL) in a recent outbreak in Rio Grande do Norte, north-e
ast Brazil. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of low concentra
tions of FML in 462 sera showed 100% sensitivity and 96% specificity.
The FML-ELISA identified patients with overt VL (P < 0.001 compared to
normal sera). It could also identify inhabitants of the endemic area
who had incipient or subclinical infection with potentially severe cli
nical disease: more than 20% of apparently healthy subjects with a pos
itive ELISA for FML developed overt VL during the following 10 months.
FML-ELISA reactivity decreased in all patients during treatment, and
became negative after parasitological cure. No cross-reaction was obse
rved in patients infected with other Leishmania species, nor in those
with Chagas disease. Determination of antibody response to FML may be
useful in diagnosis of VL and in identifying patients without overt di
sease but with a high risk of developing severe VL.