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Published on: June 14, 2024
Diagnosis of leptospirosis and comparison of ELISA and MAT techniques
Summaiya Mulla1, Tanuja Chakraborty, Manish Patel
1Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College, New Civil Hospital, Majura Gate, Surat, Gujarat. veena_123000@yahoo.co.in
Abstract:
Leptospirosis is perhaps the most common, most wide spread yet under diagnosed zoonosis in the world, Inada et al identified the causal agent in Japan in 1916. Microscopic agglutination test (MAT) developed initially by Martin and Pettit (1918) is the reference method that was successively done after ELISA test to evaluate and compare and make a reliable diagnosis. Blood samples were collected from August 2004 to September 2004 from hospitalized patients of South Gujarat region who were clinically suspected cases of leptospirosis according to WHO case definition. In our setup we separated the sera and carried out ELISA for detection of IgM antibodies and rest of the sera were stored at -20 degrees C. As we do not have the facility for performing MAT test in our centre, we personally carried these sera to Chennai for performing the MAT and identified the serovars prevalent in South Gujarat region. Out of 30 samples tested 16 samples (53.3%) were positive by ELISA and 12 samples (40%) were negative by ELISA. By MAT, 17 samples (56.67%) were found positive and 13 samples (43.33%) were negative. 2 samples were borderline by ELISA and these turned out to be negative by MAT. Cosidering MATas the gold standard the sensitivity of IgM ELISA in this study was 88% and specificity 90.90%. We concluded that IgM ELISA is rapid test and its results are quite similar to MAT. The most common serovars isolated and identified are L. hebdomadis, L. pyrogenes, L. autumnalis and L. grippotyphosa in this part of the country.
Insights
This study found that IgM ELISA is a rapid and reliable diagnostic test for leptospirosis, showing results similar to the gold standard Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT). The most common serovars identified in South Gujarat were L. hebdomadis, L. pyrogenes, L. autumnalis, and L. grippotyphosa.
Area of Science:
- Medical Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Zoonotic Diseases
Background:
- Leptospirosis is a widespread, underdiagnosed zoonotic disease globally.
- The Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) is the established reference method for leptospirosis diagnosis.
- Accurate and timely diagnosis is crucial for effective patient management and public health surveillance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic performance of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for detecting IgM antibodies against Leptospira.
- To compare the efficacy of IgM ELISA with the gold standard MAT for leptospirosis diagnosis.
- To identify prevalent Leptospira serovars in clinically suspected cases from the South Gujarat region.
Main Methods:
- Blood samples were collected from hospitalized patients with suspected leptospirosis (WHO case definition) in South Gujarat.
- Serum samples were tested for IgM antibodies using ELISA.
- A subset of samples was transported to Chennai for confirmatory diagnosis using MAT.
- Prevalence of specific Leptospira serovars was determined using MAT.
Main Results:
- Out of 30 samples, 16 (53.3%) were positive by ELISA and 17 (56.67%) by MAT.
- IgM ELISA demonstrated a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 90.90% when compared to MAT.
- The most frequently identified serovars in the region were L. hebdomadis, L. pyrogenes, L. autumnalis, and L. grippotyphosa.
Conclusions:
- IgM ELISA is a rapid and reliable diagnostic tool for leptospirosis, yielding results comparable to MAT.
- ELISA offers a viable alternative for diagnosing leptospirosis, especially in resource-limited settings.
- Understanding local serovar prevalence is essential for accurate diagnosis and epidemiological studies.
