Abstract
BackgroundThe early and correct diagnosis of human leishmaniasis is essential for disease treatment. Another important step in the control of visceral leishmaniasis is the identification of infected dogs, which are the main domestic reservoir of L. infantum. Recombinant proteins and synthetic peptides based on Leishmania genes have emerged as valuable targets for serodiagnosis due to their increased sensitivity, specificity and potential for standardization. Cathepsin L-like genes are surface antigens that are secreted by amastigotes and have little similarity to host proteins, factors that enable this protein as a good target for serodiagnosis of the leishmaniasis.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe mapped a linear B-cell epitope within the Cathepsin L-like protein from L. braziliensis. A synthetic peptide containing the epitope and the recombinant protein was evaluated for serodiagnosis of human tegumentary and visceral leishmaniasis, as well as canine visceral leishmaniasis.Conclusions/SignificanceThe recombinant protein performed best for human tegumentary and canine visceral leishmaniasis, with 96.30% and 89.33% accuracy, respectively. The synthetic peptide was the best to discriminate human visceral leishmaniasis, with 97.14% specificity, 94.55% sensitivity and 96.00% accuracy. Comparison with T. cruzi-infected humans and dogs suggests that the identified epitope is specific to Leishmania parasites, which minimizes the likelihood of cross-reactions.
Highlights
Leishmaniasis is a complex disease with cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral forms, and it is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania
We evaluated the potential use of L. braziliensis Cathepsin L-like (CatL) protein for the serodiagnosis of human tegumentary and visceral leishmaniasis as well as of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL)
Chagasic human sera was collected from 20 patients with T. cruzi infections, which were confirmed by hemoculture or the Chagatest recombinant ELISA v.3.0 kit in combination with the Chagatest hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) tests; the absence of Leishmania infection was confirmed in these patients
Summary
Leishmaniasis is a complex disease with cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral forms, and it is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. The early and correct diagnosis of VL is important for reducing mortality, as the disease is lethal if left untreated. Another important step in the control of VL is the identification of infected dogs, which are the main domestic reservoir of L. infantum [5]. The tegumentary diseases are often non-lethal, there are grave consequences for the patient [6] that can be prevented with rapid and accurate diagnosis and treatment. The early and correct diagnosis of human leishmaniasis is essential for disease treatment. Another important step in the control of visceral leishmaniasis is the identification of infected dogs, which are the main domestic reservoir of L. infantum. Cathepsin L-like genes are surface antigens that are secreted by amastigotes and have little similarity to host proteins, factors that enable this protein as a good target for serodiagnosis of the leishmaniasis
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