Diagnosis Of Human Trypanosomiasis Research Articles

The miRNA and mRNA Signatures of Peripheral Blood Cells in Humans Infected with Trypanosoma brucei gambiense

Simple, reliable tools for diagnosis of human African Trypanosomiases could ease field surveillance and enhance patient care. In particular, current methods to distinguish patients with (stage II) and without (stage I) brain involvement require samples of cerebrospinal fluid. We describe here an exploratory study to find out whether miRNAs from peripheral blood leukocytes might be useful in diagnosis of human trypanosomiasis, or for determining the stage of the disease. Using microarrays, we measured miRNAs in samples from Trypanosoma brucei gambiense-infected patients (9 stage I, 10 stage II), 8 seronegative parasite-negative controls and 12 seropositive, but parasite-negative subjects. 8 miRNAs (out of 1205 tested) showed significantly lower expression in patients than in seronegative, parasite-negative controls, and 1 showed increased expression. There were no clear differences in miRNAs between patients in different disease stages. The miRNA profiles could not distinguish seropositive, but parasitologically negative samples from controls and results within this group did not correlate with those from the trypanolysis test. Some of the regulated miRNAs, or their predicted mRNA targets, were previously reported changed during other infectious diseases or cancer. We conclude that the changes in miRNA profiles of peripheral blood lymphocytes in human African trypanosomiasis are related to immune activation or inflammation, are probably disease-non-specific, and cannot be used to determine the disease stage. The approach has little promise for diagnostics but might yield information about disease pathology.

Diagnosis of human trypanosomiasis, due to Trypanosoma brucei gambiense in central Africa, by the polymerase chain reaction

During a mass screening of sleeping sickness conducted in 1998 and 1999, and involving 27 932 persons in Cameroon and the Central African Republic, we tested the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on whole blood for the diagnosis of human African trypanosomiasis due to Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. The 1858 samples obtained were from 4 groups: 155 infected patients, 1432 serological suspects detected by the card agglutination test for trypanosomiasis (CATT), 222 negative controls living in the prospected area (negative with the CATT and parasitological methods), and 49 negative controls (CATT and parasitological methods) and unexposed to the disease (Europeans). The technique of DNA extraction used made it possible to preserve the blood samples in the field. The primers used were specific for T. brucei s.l. Only 1 patient was PCR negative, and 3 of the negative controls, exposed to the disease, were PCR positive. Among the 1432 serological suspects, only 50 were PCR positive. During the 6-month follow-up after the surveys, the 3 negative controls, who were initially positive by PCR, were found to be negative. These initial positive PCR results are unlikely to have been due to a cross-reaction with T. brucei brucei, which is non-pathogenic for man, but are more likely to have resulted from a mislabelling of sample tubes. All control individuals, exposed or not to the disease, were negative by PCR. The PCR-negative patient was possibly a registration error. Among 50 PCR positive serological suspects, 39 of them were re-examined. Five were found to be positive by the kit for in-vitro isolation of trypanosomes, representing an increase in patients of almost 13%. At the end of the study, 160 patients were diagnosed, and the PCR was positive for 159 of them (99·4%). Moreover, the PCR made it possible to reduce the number of suspects to be re-examined (50 instead of 1432; a reduction of 96·5%).

The indirect fluorescent antibody technique applied to dried blood, for use as a screening test in the diagnosis of human trypanosomiasis in Africa

Journal Article The indirect fluorescent antibody technique applied to dried blood, for use as a screening test in the diagnosis of human trypanosomiasis in Africa Get access N. M. Bailey, N. M. Bailey East African Trypanosomiasis Research Organization, Tororo, Uganda Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar M. P. Cunningham, M. P. Cunningham East African Trypanosomiasis Research Organization, Tororo, Uganda Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar C. D. Kimber C. D. Kimber East African Trypanosomiasis Research Organization, Tororo, Uganda Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 61, Issue 5, 1967, Pages 696–700, https://doi.org/10.1016/0035-9203(67)90135-6 Published: 01 January 1967

The estimation of IgM immunoglobulin in dried blood, for use as a screening test in the diagnosis of human trypanosomiasis

Journal Article The estimation of IgM immunoglobulin in dried blood, for use as a screening test in the diagnosis of human trypanosomiasis Get access M.P. Cunningham, M.P. Cunningham Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar N.M. Bailey, N.M. Bailey Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar C.D. Kimber C.D. Kimber Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 61, Issue 1, 1967, Page 143, https://doi.org/10.1016/0035-9203(67)90081-8 Published: 01 January 1967

The indirect fluorescent antibody technique applied to dried blood, for use as a screening test in the diagnosis of human trypanosomiasis

The indirect fluorescent antibody technique applied to dried blood, for use as a screening test in the diagnosis of human trypanosomiasis

The estimation of IgM immunoglobulin in dried blood, for use as a screening test in the diagnosis of human trypanosomiasis in Africa.

The estimation of IgM immunoglobulin in dried blood, for use as a screening test in the diagnosis of human trypanosomiasis in Africa.