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.
Bührer-Sekula
S
S
Department of Biomedical Research, Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Cunha
M G
MG
Ferreira
W A
WA
Klatser
P R
PR
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