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Quantitative lateral flow strip assays as User-Friendly Tools To Detect Biomarker Profiles For Leprosy

Anouk van Hooij1, Elisa M Tjon Kon Fat2, Renate Richardus3

  • 1Dept. of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.

Scientific Reports
|September 30, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Early detection of Mycobacterium leprae infection is crucial for reducing leprosy transmission. This study introduces a user-friendly lateral flow assay measuring multiple immune markers, offering a convenient tool for identifying infection and disease types.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Biomarker Discovery

Background:

  • Leprosy, caused by Mycobacterium leprae, remains a public health challenge due to persistent transmission despite multidrug therapy.
  • Host genetics influence immune responses, leading to distinct paucibacillary (PB) and multibacillary (MB) leprosy forms.
  • Accurate diagnosis and monitoring require assessing diverse immune markers reflecting both cellular and humoral immunity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate a user-friendly diagnostic tool for early detection of Mycobacterium leprae infection.
  • To evaluate the utility of a multi-biomarker approach for distinguishing leprosy infection and its forms.
  • To assess immune responses in individuals participating in a BCG vaccination field trial.

Main Methods:

  • Quantitative lateral flow assays (LFAs) were employed to measure four immune markers: anti-PGL-I antibodies, IL-10, CCL4, and IP-10.
  • Whole blood samples from a longitudinal BCG vaccination field trial in Bangladesh were analyzed.
  • The study compared biomarker profiles between infected and non-infected groups, patients and controls, and PB and MB leprosy patients.

Main Results:

  • Biomarker profiles, unlike single markers, effectively differentiated M. leprae infected individuals from non-infected controls.
  • Distinct biomarker signatures distinguished leprosy patients from household contacts (HHC) and endemic controls (EC).
  • The assay successfully differentiated between multibacillary (MB) and paucibacillary (PB) leprosy patients.

Conclusions:

  • A novel, field-friendly lateral flow assay integrating innate, adaptive cellular, and humoral immunity markers provides a convenient tool for M. leprae infection detection.
  • Multi-biomarker profiling offers a superior approach to single markers for diagnosing leprosy and its subtypes.
  • This technology has the potential to significantly improve early identification and management of leprosy, aiding transmission control efforts.

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