Use of the leishmanin skin test and western blot analysis for epidemiological studies in visceral leishmaniasis areas: experience in a highly endemic focus in Alpes-Maritimes (France).
Fifty unselected subjects living in Alpes-Maritimes, France, a high risk area for visceral leishmaniasis due to Leishmania infantum, were examined simultaneously by the leishmanin skin test and the Western blot technique in 1993; 32% and 38%, respectively, gave a positive reaction. The concordance of the 2 methods was 82%. Thus, in this high risk area, a large proportion of inhabitants had been exposed to the parasite. The use of these 2 tests should permit the detection of potential cases of reactivated leishmaniasis in prospective follow-up investigations.
Marty
P
P
Faculté de Médecine, Université de Nice Sophia-Antipolis, France.
Lelievre
A
A
Quaranta
J F
JF
Rahal
A
A
Gari-Toussaint
M
M
Le Fichoux
Y
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007428:Intradermal Tests; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000276:immunology; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; C032127:leishmanin