Anti-Leishmania titers and positive skin tests in patients cured of kala-azar
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, is an important public health problem. If not treated, virtually all clinically symptomatic patients die within months. The diagnosis is based on the Montenegro skin test (MST) and anti-Leishmania titers. Nevertheless, the time required for cured...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Associação Brasileira de Divulgação Científica
2011-01-01
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| Series: | Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research |
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| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-879X2011000100009 |
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| author | G.M.C. Viana M.D.S.B. Nascimento J.A. Diniz Neto E.M.F. Rabelo J.R. Binda Júnior O.M. Santos Júnior A.C. Santos C.S. Galvão R.S. Guimarães |
| author_facet | G.M.C. Viana M.D.S.B. Nascimento J.A. Diniz Neto E.M.F. Rabelo J.R. Binda Júnior O.M. Santos Júnior A.C. Santos C.S. Galvão R.S. Guimarães |
| author_sort | G.M.C. Viana |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, is an important public health problem. If not treated, virtually all clinically symptomatic patients die within months. The diagnosis is based on the Montenegro skin test (MST) and anti-Leishmania titers. Nevertheless, the time required for cured individuals living in a leishmaniasis-endemic area to present a positive skin test and negative anti-Leishmania serology is known. To determine the cellular and humoral immune response profile in relation to different times post-VL cure, a cross-sectional study was conducted on subjects from a kala-azar endemic area in Paço do Lumiar, MA, Brazil, on the basis of 1995-2005 notifications reported by the National Health Foundation/Regional Coordination of Maranhão. We visited cured individuals with a history of VL within the last 10 years. Seventy-four subjects (30 females) ranging in age from 1 to 44 years were included, all of them symptom free at the time of the study. A cellular immune response was observed in 73 (98.6%) subjects, whereas no significant antibody titers were detected by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) in the sera of 69 (93.2%) cases. Ten years post-cure, 39 (52%) subjects had a positive MST and negative IIF reaction, while in one subject the skin and anti-Leishmania serology tests were negative. Two other subjects were positive in both tests 1 year after cure. These data suggest that a cellular immune response may still be present in subjects cured of VL regardless of post-cure time, and that the parasite persists in the host after clinical cure of the disease. This would explain the persistence of significant Leishmania sp antibody titers in some subjects after treatment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T15:03:20Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0100-879X 1414-431X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T15:03:20Z |
| publishDate | 2011-01-01 |
| publisher | Associação Brasileira de Divulgação Científica |
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| series | Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-f2737b6960424462aeb1dec8f33c3c002022-12-21T21:43:50ZengAssociação Brasileira de Divulgação CientíficaBrazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research0100-879X1414-431X2011-01-014416265Anti-Leishmania titers and positive skin tests in patients cured of kala-azarG.M.C. VianaM.D.S.B. NascimentoJ.A. Diniz NetoE.M.F. RabeloJ.R. Binda JúniorO.M. Santos JúniorA.C. SantosC.S. GalvãoR.S. GuimarãesVisceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, is an important public health problem. If not treated, virtually all clinically symptomatic patients die within months. The diagnosis is based on the Montenegro skin test (MST) and anti-Leishmania titers. Nevertheless, the time required for cured individuals living in a leishmaniasis-endemic area to present a positive skin test and negative anti-Leishmania serology is known. To determine the cellular and humoral immune response profile in relation to different times post-VL cure, a cross-sectional study was conducted on subjects from a kala-azar endemic area in Paço do Lumiar, MA, Brazil, on the basis of 1995-2005 notifications reported by the National Health Foundation/Regional Coordination of Maranhão. We visited cured individuals with a history of VL within the last 10 years. Seventy-four subjects (30 females) ranging in age from 1 to 44 years were included, all of them symptom free at the time of the study. A cellular immune response was observed in 73 (98.6%) subjects, whereas no significant antibody titers were detected by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) in the sera of 69 (93.2%) cases. Ten years post-cure, 39 (52%) subjects had a positive MST and negative IIF reaction, while in one subject the skin and anti-Leishmania serology tests were negative. Two other subjects were positive in both tests 1 year after cure. These data suggest that a cellular immune response may still be present in subjects cured of VL regardless of post-cure time, and that the parasite persists in the host after clinical cure of the disease. This would explain the persistence of significant Leishmania sp antibody titers in some subjects after treatment.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-879X2011000100009Human visceral leishmaniasisMontenegro’s intradermal reactionIndirect immunofluorescence |
| spellingShingle | G.M.C. Viana M.D.S.B. Nascimento J.A. Diniz Neto E.M.F. Rabelo J.R. Binda Júnior O.M. Santos Júnior A.C. Santos C.S. Galvão R.S. Guimarães Anti-Leishmania titers and positive skin tests in patients cured of kala-azar Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research Human visceral leishmaniasis Montenegro’s intradermal reaction Indirect immunofluorescence |
| title | Anti-Leishmania titers and positive skin tests in patients cured of kala-azar |
| title_full | Anti-Leishmania titers and positive skin tests in patients cured of kala-azar |
| title_fullStr | Anti-Leishmania titers and positive skin tests in patients cured of kala-azar |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anti-Leishmania titers and positive skin tests in patients cured of kala-azar |
| title_short | Anti-Leishmania titers and positive skin tests in patients cured of kala-azar |
| title_sort | anti leishmania titers and positive skin tests in patients cured of kala azar |
| topic | Human visceral leishmaniasis Montenegro’s intradermal reaction Indirect immunofluorescence |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-879X2011000100009 |
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