The use of whole blood in a dipstick assay for detection of antibodies to Mycobacterium leprae: a field evaluation.
We describe a further simplification of a dipstick assay for the detection of antibodies to phenolic glycolipid I of Mycobacterium leprae by using whole blood and evaluated the assay performance in the leprosy endemic area of Amazonas in Brazil. The agreement with the 'gold' standard ELISA was 94.9% (kappa value = 0.87). This simple assay may be useful to identify those at risk of developing leprosy, for example among contacts of leprosy patients at lower levels in the health services.
Department of Biomedical Research, Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Bührer-Sekula
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Cunha
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Klatser
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001769:Blood; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000276:immunology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000379:methods*
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D006017:Glycolipids; C045169:phenolic glycolipid I, Mycobacterium leprae