Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology · 1998 · 130 citations · 11 references
Veterinary MedicineImmunologyInfectious DiseasesDiagnostic ParasitologyMolecular DiagnosticsParasite EpidemiologyAntigen Detection AssaysEnzyme-linked Immunosorbent AssayParasite AntigensParasitic Disease DiagnosisPathogen DetectionProtozoan DiagnosisDetection Of Protozoan ParasitesLeishmaniasis PathogenesisParasitic Antigen DetectionParasitic DetectionPost-kala-azar Dermal LeishmaniasisSubclinical Infection DetectionSubclinical Infection EstimationSubclinical Infection Prevalence
The rK39 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was compared with the direct agglutination test (DAT) for Leishmania donovani infection in the Sudan. rK39 ELISA proved more sensitive than DAT in diagnosis of kala-azar (93 and 80%, respectively); both tests may remain positive up to 24 months after treatment. For patients with post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis and individuals with subclinical infection, rK39 ELISA performed as well as DAT but could detect infection 6 months earlier in approximately 40% of patients. Conversion in DAT and rK39 ELISA also occurred in leishmanin skin test (LST)-positive individuals, suggesting active parasite replication (rK39 is an amastigote antigen) in these presumably immune individuals. In contrast to DAT, rK39 ELISA also detected infection in randomly selected LST-positive individuals (in four of six) and endemicity (LST-negative) controls (in one of five). rK39 ELISA appears more sensitive than DAT and may prove an important tool in epidemiological studies.
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James M. Burns, Wayne G. Shreffler, Darin R. Benson et al. · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 1993 · 408 citations · Full text
E.E. Zijlstra, A.M. El-Hassan, A. Ismael et al. · American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene · 1994 · 235 citations
E.E. Zijlstra, M.Siddig Ali, A.M. El-Hassan et al. · Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene · 1992 · 194 citations