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A simple and sensitive test for field diagnosis of post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis
P Salotra1, G Sreenivas, V Ramesh
1Molecular Biology Laboratory, Institute of Pathology (ICMR), Safdarjung Hospital Campus, Post Box 4909, New Delhi 110, 029, India. salotra@vsnl.com
Background:
Current methods for diagnosis of post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) do not offer adequate sensitivity and specificity.
Objectives:
To develop a simple and sensitive test for field diagnosis of PKDL.
Methods:
Immunochromatographic nitrocellulose strips precoated with recombinant k39 antigen were evaluated for the detection of circulating antibodies to leishmanial k39 in PKDL sera. A drop of serum applied to the strip followed by buffer led to the development of two visible bands indicating the presence of anti-k39 IgG.
Results:
The strip test was able to detect cases of PKDL with 91% sensitivity. The specificity of the test was evaluated using controls with other skin diseases, other common infections and healthy persons from endemic and non-endemic regions. Of 125 controls examined, all were negative on the strip test, indicating 100% specificity of the test.
Conclusions:
The immunochromatographic nitrocellulose strips provide a non-invasive, rapid and accurate method for diagnosing PKDL.