Presence of anti-Lepp12 antibody: a marker for diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of visceral leishmaniasis.
The diagnostic potential of recombinant Lepp12 (rLepp12) antigen cloned from Leishmania infantum was assessed in L. donovani infections by Western blotting. Ninety-two serum samples, including 30 patients with active kala-azar (KA), 17 post-treated KA patients (KA-PT), 20 post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) patients and 25 controls, were analysed for rLepp12, rK39 and DAT positivity. All KA samples taken at pre-treatment stage were positive for Lepp12 antibodies. Seventeen of these were evaluated post treatment (KA-PT), 10 of which were found to be negative. Nine of these 10 negative cases corresponded to clinically cured patients with regressed spleen. Seven post-treatment cases were rLepp12-positive; all of them corresponded to patients who were considered clinically cured but continued to have an enlarged spleen (> or =5 cm). The majority of PKDL patients (18/20) were found to be seronegative by immunoblot test using rLepp12 antigen. The rLepp12-based Western blot diagnosed 100% of patients with visceral disease, whilst none of the control cases were found to be reactive to rLepp12. rLepp12 protein provides a useful reagent for highly sensitive and specific diagnosis of KA. Additionally, rLepp12 appears to have potential as a prognostic marker for the infection.
Kumar
Dhiraj
D
Molecular Biology Laboratory, Institute of Pathology (ICMR), Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi 110029, India.
Srividya
Gurumurthy
G
Verma
Sandeep
S
Singh
Ruchi
R
Negi
Narendra Singh
NS
Fragaki
Konstantina
K
Kubar
Joanna
J
Salotra
Poonam
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015153:Blotting, Western; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000276:immunology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D015415:Biomarkers; C481965:Lepp12 protein, Leishmania infantum; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins