title: Factors associated with anti-phenolic glycolipid-I seropositivity among the household contacts of leprosy cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The diagnosis of leprosy is based on clinical symptoms of the disease, which may not be sufficient to ensure early diagnosis. The development of effective tools for the early detection of infection, such as rapid tests that can be applied by non-specialists for early-stage leprosy identification, has been considered a research priority and may contribute to overcoming the complications associated with late diagnosis. The aim of this study was to analyze the factors associated with anti-phenolic glycolipid-I (PGL-I) seropositivity among the household contacts of leprosy cases.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study of individuals from the northeastern municipalities of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, was performed. Anti-PGL-I seropositivity was evaluated by assessing specific antibody production using the ML Flow test. A Poisson regression with a robust error variance was used to evaluate the relationship between anti-PGL-I seropositivity and the independent variables investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall anti-PGL-I seropositivity was 13.5 %, and among the contacts of leprosy cases that were classified as paucibacillary or multibacillary, it was 8.4 and 17.3 %, respectively. The factors associated with the variation of anti-PGL-I seropositivity among the study population were the presence of signs suggestive of leprosy (PR = 3.68; 95 % CI: 1.56-8.71), the operational leprosy classification (PR = 2.17; 95 % CI: 1.22-3.86) and grade 1 (PR = 1.83; 95 % CI: 1.02-3.26) or grade 2 disability (PR = 2.42; 95 % CI: 1.02-5.47) of the index leprosy case.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of signs suggestive of leprosy and the operational classification of leprosy cases were associated with anti-PGL-I seropositivity. The serological tests available for leprosy are not considered to be diagnostic tests but can be used as auxiliary assessments in combination with clinical parameters to identify exposed individuals at high risk of developing leprosy and those exhibiting the initial stages of this disease.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Nursing, Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais-UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil. anapaulamcarvalho@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Ana Paula Mendes
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Nursing, Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais-UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil. angelicafabri@yahoo.com.br.|Department of Basic Nursing, Faculdade de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora-UFJF, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brasil. angelicafabri@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Angélica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: da Conceição Oliveira Coelho Fabri
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Nursing, Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais-UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil. correa@cpqrr.fiocruz.br.|Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou-CPqRR, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil. correa@cpqrr.fiocruz.br.|Laboratory of Immunology, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto-UFOP, Ouro Preto, MG, Brasil. correa@cpqrr.fiocruz.br.|Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Doenças Tropicais-INCT-DT, Belo Horizonte, Brasil. correa@cpqrr.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Corrêa Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Nursing, Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais-UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil. xicolana@ufmg.br.|Department of Maternal and Child Nursing and Public Health, Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais-UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil. xicolana@ufmg.br.
authors.forename: Francisco Carlos Félix
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Lana
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D056006:Leprosy, Multibacillary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D056005:Leprosy, Paucibacillary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D006017:Glycolipids; C045169:phenolic glycolipid I, Mycobacterium leprae