A sero-epidemiological study of visceral leishmaniosis in Izmir District, Turkey

N Altintas1, A Yolasigmaz, N Sakru

  • 1Department of Parasitology, Ege University, Medical Faculty, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey.

Visceral leishmaniosis caused by Leishmania infantum have been reported in Turkey. A total of 2055 blood samples collected in Izmir and six surrounding villages were tested for anti-Leishmania antibodies. Three established immunodiagnostic techniques, indirect fluorescence antibody (IFA), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and direct agglutination test (DAT), were employed using promastigotes and rK39 as antigens for the detection of anti-Leishmania antibodies. Five sero-positive cases (0.24%) were detected by the three tests used.

Related Concept Videos

Leishmaniasis01:30

Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is a protozoal disease caused by species of the genus Leishmania and transmitted through the bite of infected female sandflies. The parasite exists in two principal morphological forms during its life cycle. A sandfly acquires intracellular amastigotes from an infected reservoir host, such as a dog. Within the sandfly, these forms differentiate into motile, flagellated promastigotes. During a subsequent blood meal, promastigotes are injected into the human host, where they...
Toxoplasmosis01:28

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
Antiprotozoal Agents01:21

Antiprotozoal Agents

Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by several Leishmania species. It affects millions of people each year and remains a major public health problem in endemic regions. First-line treatment relies on pentavalent antimonials, including meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate. Even so, how these drugs work has not been fully clear, especially their interaction with parasite-specific biochemical pathways. One key target is trypanothione reductase (TR), an enzyme that...