An assessment of serological techniques for the identification of asymptomatic visceral leishmaniasis in blood donors in Northeastern Brazil

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i6.28827

Keywords:

Flow cytometry; Direct agglutination test; ELISA; Recombinant ELISA.

Abstract

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected disease caused by species of the Leishmania donovani complex and transmitted mainly by the bite of infected sandflies. A less frequent form of transmission is the transfusion route, important in countries lacking screening procedures for VL in blood banks. Methods: To identify asymptomatic infection by Leishmania sp, our goal here was to evaluate and compare the performance of three different serological techniques: Flow Cytometry (FC); Direct Agglutination Test (DAT); and Immunoenzymatic Test (ELISA). Thirty-one asymptomatic carriers of L. infantum were selected, from a single blood bank located in Recife, northeastern Brazil. Results : Foi avaliada a frequência de amostras positivas assintomáticas nos testes, no ELISA baseado no antígeno solúvel de Leishmania (25,8%), FC (22,8%), DAT (9,7%) e ELISA baseado em uma única proteína recombinante (12,9%). A sensibilidade dos testes também foi avaliada, o FC (22,58%) e o ELISA com o antígeno solúvel (22,58%) apresentaram os maiores valores de sensibilidade que o DAT (6,45%) e o ELISA recombinante (12,9%). Apenas a CF apresentou baixa especificidade (22,22%), em contraste com as demais técnicas (100% de especificidade). Conclusion: Given the results presented, we highlight the low effectiveness of serological techniques for the identification of asymptomatic individuals, thus emphasizing the need to develop more accurate methods for this purpose.

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23/04/2022

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SILVA, L. P.; SILVA, E. D. .; PEREIRA, A. M. de S. .; SANTOS, W. J. T. dos .; SILVA, A. H. da .; NEITZKE-ABREU, H. C. .; MEDEIROS, Z. M. de .; LIMA JÚNIOR, M. S. da C. .; PEREIRA, V. R. A. . An assessment of serological techniques for the identification of asymptomatic visceral leishmaniasis in blood donors in Northeastern Brazil. Research, Society and Development, [S. l.], v. 11, n. 6, p. e14011628827, 2022. DOI: 10.33448/rsd-v11i6.28827. Disponível em: https://rsdjournal.org/index.php/rsd/article/view/28827. Acesso em: 22 nov. 2024.

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Health Sciences