Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology
Application of an improved method for the recombinant K39 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect visceral leishmaniasis disease and infection in Bangladesh
Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, Volume 12, No. 12, Year 2005
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Several serology-based immunoassays are used to diagnose visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a chronic protozoan parasitic disease caused by the Leishmania donovani complex. These tests are primarily designed to diagnose the most severe clinical form of VL, known as kala-azar. However, leishmanial infection is frequently asymptomatic and may manifest only as a positive serologic response or positive leishmanin skin test. We modified a previously described enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that detects patient antibodies reactive with the recombinant Leishmania protein K39 (rK39) to confirm suspected kala-azar and to detect asymptomatic infection in a community study in Bangladesh. With the inclusion of a standard curve on each ELISA plate, the rK39 ELISA was more repeatable (kappa coefficient of agreement = 0.970) and more reliable compared to the original method (kappa = 0.587, P < 0.001). The cutoff point for a positive antibody response was chosen based on the 99th percentile of the ELISA distribution for the negative-control sera. However, we found that sera from all patients with active kala-azar yielded values more than twice the magnitude of this cutoff. Using receiver-operator characteristic curves, we determined a second cutoff value predictive of kala-azar. Using these criteria, the sensitivity and specificity of the modified ELISA for kala-azar were 97.0% and 98.9%, respectively, for sera from our study population. We hypothesize that individuals with antibody levels greater than the 99th percentile of the negative controls but less than the cutoff point for kala-azar have asymptomatic leishmanial infections. Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Kurkjian, Katie M.
United States, Atlanta
National Center for Infectious Diseases
Vaz, Louise Elaine
United States, Atlanta
National Center for Infectious Diseases
United States, Nashville
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Haque, Rashidul
Bangladesh, Dhaka
Icddr, b Centre for Health and Population Research
Cêtre-Sossah, Catherine Béatrice
United States, Atlanta
National Center for Infectious Diseases
France, Paris
Cirad
Akhter, S.
Bangladesh, Dhaka
Icddr, b Centre for Health and Population Research
Roy, Shantonu
Bangladesh, Dhaka
Icddr, b Centre for Health and Population Research
Steurer, F.
United States, Atlanta
National Center for Infectious Diseases
Amann, Josef
United States, Atlanta
National Center for Infectious Diseases
United States, Atlanta
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Ali, Mohammad M.
Bangladesh, Dhaka
Icddr, b Centre for Health and Population Research
Chowdhury, Rajib Nayan
Bangladesh, Dhaka
Icddr, b Centre for Health and Population Research
Wagatsuma, Yukiko
Bangladesh, Dhaka
Icddr, b Centre for Health and Population Research
Japan, Tsukuba
University of Tsukuba
Williamson, John Michael
United States, Atlanta
National Center for Infectious Diseases
Crawford, Sara B.
United States, Atlanta
National Center for Infectious Diseases
Breiman, Robert F.
Bangladesh, Dhaka
Icddr, b Centre for Health and Population Research
Kenya, Nairobi
Kenya Medical Research Institute
Maguire, James H.
United States, Atlanta
National Center for Infectious Diseases
United States, Baltimore
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Bern, Caryn
United States, Atlanta
National Center for Infectious Diseases
Secor, William Evan
United States, Atlanta
National Center for Infectious Diseases
United States, Atlanta
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Statistics
Citations: 26
Authors: 17
Affiliations: 8
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1128/CDLI.12.12.1410-1415.2005
ISSN:
1071412X
Research Areas
Health System And Policy
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study