ABSTRACT
Abstract Considering that the main route of Mycobacterium leprae transmission is the upper respiratory tract, detection of salivary antibodies can be a useful tool for diagnosing early infection. The study aimed to analyze salivary anti-PGL-1 IgA and IgM antibodies in 169 children aged 4-16 years old, who lived nearby or inside the house of multibacillary or paucibacillary leprosy patients in two endemic cities in Alagoas State - Brazil. Salivary anti-PGL-1 antibodies were quantified by modified ELISA method. The frequency of contact and clinical form of the index case were significantly associated with salivary antibody levels. High frequency of IgM positivity strongly suggests active transmission of M. leprae in these communities. We suggest in the present work that salivary anti-PGL IgA and IgM are important biomarkers to be used for identifying communities with probable active transmission of M. leprae.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Child, Preschool , Child , Adolescent , Glycolipids/analysis , Family , Contact Tracing , Leprosy, Multibacillary/diagnosis , Antibodies, Bacterial/administration & dosage , Antigens, Bacterial/analysis , Saliva/immunology , Saliva/chemistry , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Glycolipids/immunology , Leprosy, Paucibacillary/diagnosis , Mycobacterium leprae/immunology , Antigens, Bacterial/immunologyABSTRACT
Un método de detección de adhesinas K99, K88 y F41 de Escherichia coli enterotoxigénica ha sido desarrollado sobre membranas de nitrocelulosa, basado en la reacción inmunoenzimática de dot-blot. Suspensiones estandarizadas de este microorganismo, portando distintos tipos de adhesinas fueron sembrados en el papel y enfrentados a anticuerpos-sonda de especificidad probada y posteriormente a un conjugado peoxidasa-antianticuerpo. La prueba mostró ser de alta sensibilidad y específica del tipo de adhesina, pudiendo emplearse como ensayo diagnóstico en la detección de esos factores de virulencia