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Detection of asymptomatic Leishmania infection in Bangladesh by antibody and antigen diagnostic tools shows an association with post–kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) patients

Owen, Sophie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0458-2357, Faria, Hossain, Ghosh, Prakash, Chowdhury, Rajashree, Hossain, Md. Sakhawat, Jewell, Chris, Cruz, Isra, Picado, Albert, Mondal, Dinesh and Adams, Emily ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0816-2835 (2021) 'Detection of asymptomatic Leishmania infection in Bangladesh by antibody and antigen diagnostic tools shows an association with post–kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) patients'. Parasites & Vectors, Vol 14, Issue 111.

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Abstract

Background
Asymptomatic Leishmania infections outnumber clinical infections on the Indian subcontinent (ISC), where disease reservoirs are anthroponotic. Diagnostics which detect active asymptomatic infection, which are suitable for monitoring and surveillance, may be of benefit to the visceral leishmaniasis (VL) elimination campaign on the ISC.

Methods
Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), and the direct agglutination test (DAT) were carried out on blood samples, and the Leishmania antigen ELISA was carried out on urine samples collected from 720 household and neighbouring contacts of 276 VL and post–kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) index cases, with no symptoms or history of VL or PKDL, in endemic regions of Bangladesh between September 2016 and March 2018.

Results
Of the 720 contacts of index cases, asymptomatic infection was detected in 69 (9.6%) participants by a combination of qPCR (1.0%), LAMP (2.1%), DAT (3.9%), and Leishmania antigen ELISA (3.3%). Only one (0.1%) participant was detected positive by all four diagnostic tests. Poor agreement between tests was calculated using Cohen’s kappa (κ) statistics; however, the Leishmania antigen ELISA and DAT in combination captured all participants as positive by more than one test. We find evidence for a moderately strong association between the index case being a PKDL case (OR 1.94, p = 0.009), specifically macular PKDL (OR 2.12, p = 0.004), and being positive for at least one of the four tests.

Conclusions
Leishmania antigen ELISA on urine detects active asymptomatic infection, requires a non-invasive sample, and therefore may be of benefit for monitoring transmission and surveillance in an elimination setting in combination with serology. Development of an antigen detection test in a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) format would be of benefit to the elimination campaign.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: QW Microbiology and Immunology > Antigens and Antibodies. Toxins and Antitoxins > QW 573 Antigens
WA Public Health > Health Problems of Special Population Groups > WA 395 Health in developing countries
WC Communicable Diseases > Tropical and Parasitic Diseases > WC 680 Tropical diseases (General)
WR Dermatology > Parasitic Skin Diseases > WR 350 Tropical diseases of the skin. Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. Leishmaniasis
Faculty: Department: Biological Sciences > Department of Tropical Disease Biology
Digital Object Identifer (DOI): https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-021-04622-8
Depositing User: Cathy Waldron
Date Deposited: 18 Feb 2021 10:16
Last Modified: 18 Feb 2021 10:16
URI: https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/16997

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