Background: This study was designed for comparative evaluation of two relatively newer recombinant hydrophilic antigens, rK9 and rK26 of Leishmania chagasi along with rK39 (a 39-aminoacid-repetitive immunodominant B-cell epitope of kinesin-related antigen from L. chagasi) and crude soluble antigen (CSA) for the serodiagnosis of Indian visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients by quantitative ELISA. ...

BACKGROUND Rapid diagnostic test using rk39 antigen is widely used for visceral leishmaniasis. However it detects anti-rk39 antibodies in 20-32% of endemic healthy individuals. In search for a better biomarker of infection, we identified a protein of molecular weight 70 kDa (BHUP1), specifically recognized by sera of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients. METHODS The protein was cloned as His-...

background: the mediterranean type of kala-azar is occurred in different parts of iran and caused by leishmania infan tum. a rapid and valid test for early detection of visceral leishmaniasis in human would be highly desirable because it could de crease mortality rate of the disease. in this study, we aimed to compare the results of k39sub antigen with an commercial immu nochromatographic dipst...

BACKGROUND The rK39 recombinant protein is derived from a specific antigen produced by the Leishmania donovani complex, and has been used in the last two decades for the serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis. We present here a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies evaluating serologic assays to diagnose visceral leishmaniasis to determine the accuracy of rK39 antigen in comparison to...

The rK39 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was compared with the direct agglutination test (DAT) for Leishmania donovani infection in the Sudan. rK39 ELISA proved more sensitive than DAT in diagnosis of kala-azar (93 and 80%, respectively); both tests may remain positive up to 24 months after treatment. For patients with post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis and individuals with subclinic...

BACKGROUND For effective control of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in East Africa, new rapid diagnostic tests are required to replace current tests with low sensitivity. The aim of this study is to improve diagnosis of VL in East Africa by testing a new antigen from an autochthonous L. donovani strain in Sudan. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPLE FINDINGS We cloned, expressed and purified a novel recombin...

Five serological tests for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) were compared: a direct agglutination test (DAT) based on freeze-dried antigen (DAT-fd); a locally produced DAT (DAT-LPC); an IgG ELISA against rK39 (ELISA-rK39); an IgG ELISA for Leishmania chagasi (ELISA-L. chagasi); and an IgG IFAT against L. chagasi. Serum samples from 88 patients with VL, 20 non-infected individuals an...

BACKGROUND There is a need for sensitive and specific rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) for canine visceral leishmaniasis. The aims of this study were to evaluate the diagnostic performance of immunochromatographic dipstick RDTs using rK39 antigen for canine visceral leishmaniasis by (i) investigating the sensitivity of RDTs to detect infection, disease and infectiousness in a longitudinal cohort st...

We report the cloning of a Leishmania chagasi antigen gene and an evaluation of leishmaniasis patient antibody responses to the recombinant protein, rK39. rK39 contains a 39-amino acid repeat that is part of a 230-kDa protein predominant in L. chagasi tissue amastigotes. Sequence analyses showed this protein, LcKin, to be related to the kinesin superfamily of motor proteins. Southern blot analy...

BACKGROUND Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), caused by infection with Leishmania donovani complex, remains a major public health problem in endemic regions of South Asia, East Africa, and Brazil. If untreated, symptomatic VL is usually fatal. Rapid field diagnosis relies principally on demonstration of anti-Leishmania antibodies in clinically suspect cases. The rK39 immunochromatographic rapid diagn...