Distribution of IgG subclasses in antimonial unresponsive Indian kala-azar patients.
Sodium antimony gluconate (SAG) is the mainstay of treatment for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) or kala-azar. In view of the increasing incidence of refractoriness to SAG in India, we compared the levels of parasite-specific IgG and IgG subclasses in 20 longitudinally followed up kala-azar patients. In both SAG-responsive (n = 10) and unresponsive patients (n = 10), the levels of total IgG, IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4 were increased, the rank order being IgG1 > IgG2 > IgG3 = IgG4. Following treatment, a significant decrease in total IgG and the four subclasses occurred in the SAG-responsive group, whereas in the SAG-unresponsive group these levels were unchanged or slightly increased. Therefore, monitoring of IgG1 and IgG2 levels in Indian kala-azar patients is a good serologic alternative to monitoring the disease status.
Chatterjee
M
M
Indian Institute of Chemical Biology and Department of Tropical Medicine, School of Tropical Medicine, Calcutta, India.
Basu
K
K
Basu
D
D
Bannerjee
D
D
Pramanik
N
N
Guha
S K
SK
Goswami
R P
RP
Saha
S K
SK
Mandal
C
C
D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood* / Q000145:classification; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood* / Q000145:classification; D007194:India; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000276:immunology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000276:immunology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D007074:Immunoglobulin G