[Serologic study of patients with leptospirosis using TR antigen]

Area of Science:

• Medical Microbiology
• Immunology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Leptospirosis is a significant zoonotic disease requiring accurate serological diagnostic methods.
• The thermoresistant antigen (TR) macroagglutination test and passive hemagglutination (HA) test are used for leptospirosis diagnosis.
• Evaluating and comparing diagnostic test performance is crucial for effective disease management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the TR macroagglutination test against the passive hemagglutination (HA) test for leptospirosis.
• To assess the performance of a modified TR antigen in serological diagnosis.

Main Methods:

• Collected and analyzed 254 monosera from patients suspected of leptospirosis.
• Performed macroagglutination tests using a modified TR antigen.
• Utilized the passive hemagglutination (HA) test as the reference technique.
• Compared results statistically between the two serological methods.

Main Results:

• The TR antigen demonstrated broad generic reactivity and specificity against other bacterial and spirochetal sera.
• Out of 254 sera, 106 (41.73%) were reactive to the HA test.
• A statistically significant difference was observed between the TR macroagglutination and HA tests, indicating lower sensitivity for the TR test.

Conclusions:

• The TR macroagglutination test exhibits lower sensitivity in diagnosing leptospirosis compared to the HA test.
• Further optimization or alternative antigens may be needed to improve the TR test's diagnostic utility.
• The HA test remains a more sensitive reference method for leptospirosis serodiagnosis in this study population.