Indirect immunofluorescence staining patterns and their use for diagnosing cutaneous leishmaniasis and Chagas’ disease

• Autores: Vásquez Huerta, Luis, Ruelas Llerena, Nancy, Córdova Benzaquen, Eleazar
• Formato: artículo
• Fecha de Publicación: 2011
• Institución: Colegio Médico del Perú
• Repositorio: Acta Médica Peruana
• Lenguaje: español
• OAI Identifier: oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/1079
• Enlace del recurso: https://amp.cmp.org.pe/index.php/AMP/article/view/1079
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: Leishmaniasis; Chagas disease; immunologic tests; Leishmania braziliensis; Trypanosoma cruzi

Objective: To determine the value of indirect immunofluorescence (IFI) in the diagnosis of leishmaniasis and Chagas disease. Material and method: Indirect immunofluorescence (IFI) was employed for diagnosing leishmaniasis and Chagas disease using Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigota as substrate antigens. A nuclear fluorescence pattern was found in sera from patients with leishmaniasis, and a peripheral pattern was found in those with Chagas disease. Afterwards, we estimated the diagnostic value of IFI for both diseases in a blinded fashion. Results: For diagnosing leishmaniasis, IFI sensitivity was 84.2%, specificity, 100%, positive predictive value, 100%, negative predictive value 82.9%, and accuracy was 91.0%. Conclusions: The immunofluorescence technique using Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigota, considering the proposed color patterns, is useful for diagnosing cutaneous leishmaniasis and T. cruzi infection by avoiding confusion because of immune cross-reactivity between these conditions.