Affiliation:
1. Kala-Azar Medical Research Center, Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221005, India
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The recombinant product (rK39) of the 39-amino-acid repeats encoded by a kinesin-like protein-encoding gene of
Leishmania chagasi
was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for diagnostic potential and the ability to predict the response to therapy in Indian kala-azar or visceral leishmaniasis (VL); we also compared its performance with that of crude soluble antigen (CSA). At the diagnosis of VL, the anti-rK39 antibody titer was 59-fold higher than the anti-CSA antibody titer. With successful therapy, antibody titers declined steeply at the end of treatment and during follow-up. In contrast, patients who relapsed showed increased titers of antibodies to rK39. The extremely high levels of anti-rK39 antibodies in VL cases suggest the application of rK39 for sensitive and specific serodiagnosis, and rK39 ELISA is also valuable in monitoring drug therapy and detecting relapse of the disease.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Microbiology (medical),Clinical Biochemistry,Immunology,Immunology and Allergy
Cited by
73 articles.
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