This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kumar, P. Articles by Sundar, S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kumar, P. Articles by Sundar, S.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, September 2002, p. 1119-1123, Vol. 9, No. 5
1071-412X/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.9.5.1119-1123.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Immunoblot Analysis of the Humoral Immune Response to Leishmania donovani Polypeptides in Cases of Human Visceral Leishmaniasis: Its Usefulness in Prognosis

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science,¹ Department of Medicine,² Department of Microbiology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi—221 005, India³

Received 18 April 2002/ Accepted 3 June 2002

Sera from Indian patients with parasitologically confirmed visceral leishmaniasis were studied by immunoblot analysis in order to identify a specific pattern for Leishmania infection. A soluble extract of Leishmania donovani was used as antigen. At diagnosis the sera from patients with visceral leishmaniasis specifically recognized fractions represented by bands of 201 kDa (50% of serum samples), 193 kDa (60%), 147 kDa (50%), 120 kDa (60%), 100 kDa (50%), 80 kDa (80%), 70 kDa (70%), 65 kDa (100%), 50 kDa (50%), 36 kDa (50%), 20 kDa (70%), and 18 kDa (50%). The 65-kDa band, common to all patients infected with Leishmania parasites, was found at the time of diagnosis. However, the immunoblot pattern changed after patients were treated and cured with sodium antimony gluconate (SAG; n =10) or miltefosine (n =10), as was evident from blots of sera obtained pretreatment and at 1, 3, and 6 months posttreatment. At 6 months posttreatment, immunoblots of sera from patients on the SAG regimen showed the disappearance of all bands except the 70-kDa band. Similarly, sera from those on the miltefosine regimen showed the disappearance of all bands except the 65- and 70-kDa bands. This study shows that Western blot analysis is a sensitive test for detection of anti-Leishmania antibodies. Moreover, the persistence of reactivity with the 65- and 70-kDa bands in the sera of all groups shows its promise as a diagnostic and prognostic tool.