Evaluation of a direct agglutination test and methylene blue test in diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis

ABSTRACT

The usefulness and sensitivity of a direct agglutination test [DAT] in the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis infection has been investigated. Trypsin treated, formalin fixed and coomassie blue stained Leishmania promastigotes were used as antigens L. infantum, L. donovani, L. aethiopica. Although the titers of sera from patients with localized cutaneous leishmaniasis were low, sera from lepromatous, tuberculous and toxoplasmic patients gave high titers indicating cross reactivity. Comparable results were obtained when the same sera were tested using freshly prepared antigen or antigens stored for 5 months at 4C, and with addition of 0.78% 2-meracaptoethanol to the diluents