title: Performance of an indigenous β-mercaptoethanol-modified antigen in comparison with a commercial reference in direct agglutination test for detection of canine visceral leishmaniasis.
abstract: We compared the performance of a locally produced β-mercaptoethanol-modified promastigote antigen (β-ME-Ag) of an indigenous Leishmania infantum strain against that of a trypsinized Leishmania donovani reference (REF-Ag) in the direct agglutination test (DAT) for detection of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL). One hundred and fifty-one serum samples collected from dogs belonging to four groups with different conditions were included. At a DAT titre of 1 : 320, statistically determined as optimal cut-off value for β-ME-Ag, and 1 : 160 for REF-Ag, a sensitivity and a specificity of 100 % were estimated for β-ME-Ag in comparison with 96.6 % and 100 %, respectively, for REF-Ag. Overall, levels of agglutination titres recorded for the two antigens were highly concordant (Cohen's κ = 0.879) in both the CVL and non-CVL groups. Based on current results, and ease experienced in processing the antigen and reading the test outcome, we recommend incorporation of β-ME-Ag in DAT for confirmation or exclusion of suspected CVL in dogs.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas. Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal.
authors.forename: Saul José
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Semião-Santos
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas. Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal.
authors.forename: Laura Barral
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Veloso
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Paes de Andrade
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Molecular do Semiárido, Unidade Acadêmica de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Patos, Paraíba, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Almeida de Melo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal.|Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas. Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal.
authors.forename: Luis Miguel Lourenço
authors.initials: LML
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas. Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal.
authors.forename: Artur Armando de Moura
authors.initials: AAM
authors.lastname: Marinho
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal.|Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas. Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal.
authors.forename: José Antunes
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Afonso de Almeida
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Leishmanioses, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Lénea Maria da Graça
authors.initials: LMDG
authors.lastname: Campino
authors.affiliation: Ahfad University for Women, Omdurman, Sudan.
authors.forename: Abdallah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: El Harith
mesh_terms: D000372:Agglutination Tests / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000276:immunology; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000276:immunology; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan