Artigo Acesso aberto Produção Nacional Revisado por pares

IMMUNOLOGIC TESTS IN PATIENTS AFTER CLINICAL CURE OF VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS

2006; American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene; Volume: 75; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.4269/ajtmh.2006.75.739

ISSN

1476-1645

Autores

Luciana de Almeida Silva Teixeira, Héctor Dardo Romero, Áluízio Prata, Roberto Teodoro da Costa, Evaldo Nascimento, Sílvio Fernando Guimarães de Carvalho, Virmondes Rodrigues,

Tópico(s)

Trypanosoma species research and implications

Resumo

The results of five serologic tests (ELISA using promastigote antigen [ELISAp] and recombinant K39 [ELISArK39] and K26 [ELISArK26] antigens, indirect immunofluorescence test using promastigote antigen [IIFT], and immunochromatographic tests using the rK39 antigen [TRALd]) and of the Montenegro skin test (MST) were analyzed in 41 individuals treated for kala-azar and living in Porteirinha, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The tests were carried out 1 week to 12 years after specific treatment. All MSTs during the 8 months after treatment were negative, whereas after 1 year, 28 (84.8%) were positive. Negativity in all serologic tests was observed for 11 (26.8%) of the 41 individuals, whereas positivity in at least one test was observed for 70.3% of subjects evaluated > or = 2 years after treatment. With respect to each exam, positivity was 38.0% for TRALd, 61.9% for ELISA rK39, 47.6% for ELISA rK26, 38.0% for ELISAp, and 40.5% for IIFT. None of the individuals presented recurrence of the disease during the 4 years of follow-up. The tests were repeated in 24 of the 41 individuals, after some time, and the results were the same in 33.3% of the cases. We conclude that serological tests for kala-azar might continue to be positive after treatment of the disease, although this does not indicate a poor prognosis or a poor therapeutic response.

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