1,013 research outputs found
A Leishmania infantum FML-ELISA for the Detection of Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis in an Endemic Area of Iran
No full textBackground: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is caused by Leishmania infantum in
Mediterranean basin and is an endemic disease in some parts of Iran. Canines are the main
reservoirs of VL in most of the endemic areas. Different serological methods have been
introduced for diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL). Objective: In this survey a
Fucose-Mannose Ligand (FML) ELISA, using native L. infantum antigen, was developed and
its validity for detection of infected dogs in comparison with direct agglutination test (DAT)
and PCR was evaluated. Methods: Blood samples of sixty ownership dogs (≤ 3 years old)
were collected from Meshkin-shahr district in Ardabil province, North-west of Iran. Sera
were separated for serological assays (DAT and FML-ELISA) and the buffy coats were
collected for molecular evaluation. Results: Two out of the 60 (3.33%) samples were found
to be positive (antibody titer of ≥ 1/320) in DAT while seven of the 60 (11.66%) samples
were positive by FML-ELISA. Nine out of 60 (15%) buffy coat samples showed a band about
680 bp indicative of L. infantum in PCR. Three out of 60 dogs had Kala-azar symptoms and
were positive by PCR and FML-ELISA, while two of these three dogs had antibody titers
>1/320 in their serum samples. The sensitivity and specificity of FML-ELISA for the
detection of CVL in both symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs were found to be 77.8% and
100%, respectively. Conclusion: Considering the acceptable sensitivity and high specificity
of FML-ELISA, use of this serological method can be recommended for epidemiological
surveys of CVL
Interview with Azar Nafisi
No full textIranian author Azar Nafisi speaks about her experiences and the themes of women's rights and struggle that motivate her work including her famous memior Reading Lolita in Tehran. She also shares her thoughts and feelings on the 40 year fight for women's rights in Iran
Studies in epidemiology and seroepidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis in Iraq.
No full textA defined population
was
studied
over
a
period
of
7
months
to
elucidate the epidemiology of visceral
leishmaniasis in Iraq,
using
serological methods as a screening
test.
Seroepidemiological
methods
were
also used in the search for a
canine reservoir
of
infection
and
the tests
used were studied in defined animal
systems
and
in
confirmed
human
cases.
A cross-sectional survey was
made
of
the
population
of
a
defined
rural area of 300 km2, south
of
Baghdad. It included
19
villages with
1,171 houses and a total population
of
9,889.
Houses
were
mapped
and a
census completed. The 3,403 persons
under
7
years
of
age
were
screened
using two serological tests for
visceral leishmaniasis: indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and enzyme-linked
immunosorbent
assays
(ELISA).
Seropositive children were fully examined
clinically and
by the leishmanin
test. The blood picture and
serum proteins
were
determined
and,
in the
absence of clinical signs, follow-up was
by
monthly
serological
examination.
Symptomatic children were admitted
to
hospital for bone
marrow
biopsy.
Results showed a range from subclinical cases
defined
only
by
sero-conversion through to severe
disease
needing
hospital treatment
and
with
a
high mortality.
A repeat survey of
the
same
child population after
7
months
showed serological changes following the
main
transmission
season.
66 of the parasitologically
confirmed sero-positive
cases
from
this area and elsewhere in the
endemic region
were
examined, and
in
some,
monthly serology was determined at
domiciliary follow-up. IFAT
was
found
to be more sensitive than ELISA. 33%
of cases of visceral
leishmaniasis
were
found to revert to negative
within
9
months
of
treatment.
435 hospital inpatients with
a variety
of
diagnoses
were
studied
to determine the specificity of
tests.
ELISA
was
found
of
greater
specificity than IFAT. These cases
included
124
clinically suspected
leishmaniases of which 45 were subsequently culture-positive.
A longitudinal serological study
was carried
out
in inbred
mice
of varying genetically determined susceptibility
to infection.
All
innately
susceptible mice were seropositive by
day
50
and
the titre
continued
to
increase until the end of the experiment at
day
130
regardless
of
the
parasitological course of infection. In a search for the postulated canine
reservoir
of visceral
leishmaniasis 151 jackals and 65 dogs, largely
strays,
were
studied
parasitologically and serologically.
Neither from these
nor
from
a
limited
sample of rodents could the parasite
be isolated, though
several
jackals
were seropositive.
The results clarify
the
epidemiology
of
visceral
leishmaniasis
but do not demonstrate an animal
reservoir
unequivocally.
They
do however
define criteria which any satisfactory quantitative
hypothesis
of
transmission needs to fulfil
Diagnosis of Kala-azar by rK39 based ELISA and KAtex
No full textThis cross sectional study was carried out in SSMC for a period of one year from July 2007 to June 2008 to evaluate rK39 based ELISA and KAtex tests for diagnosis of Kala-azar. Total 150 patients were selected clinically. For this study rK39 ICT was regarded as confirmatory test according to national guideline. Among 150, total 100 cases were confirmed to be positive for Kala-azar by rK39 ICT test. Age and sex matched 25 healthy persons each from endemic and non-endemic area were taken as control. Among the 100 sero confirmed cases KAtex was positive in 87 (sensitivity of 87%) while ELISA was positive in 98 cases (sensitivity 98%). Among the 50 controls none were positive by KAtex test while 1 (one) ELISA test was positive resulting in specificity of these tests 100% and 98% respectively. The result of the study clearly showed superiority of rK39 antigen based ELISA in respect of sensitivity and KAtex in respect of specificity.KYAMC Journal Vol. 6, No.-1, Jul 2015, Page 574-578</jats:p
Azar Nafisi, 39th Annual ODU Literary Festival
No full textAzar Nafisi is the author of numerous books including Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books, which has been translated in 32 languages; Anti-Terra: A Critical Study of Vladimir Nabokov’s Novels; and The Republic of Imagination: America in Three Books. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and New Republic. She has received many literary and humanitarian awards including the Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger; an American Immigration Law Foundation achievement award; a Persian Golden Lioness Award for Literature from the World Academy of Arts, Literature, and Media; and a Cristóbal Gabarrón Foundation International Thought and Humanities Award. She currently is a visiting fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC
Incidence of symptomatic and asymptomatic Leishmania donovani infections in high-endemic foci in India and Nepal: a prospective study.
No full textIncidence of Leishmania donovani infection and Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) was assessed in a prospective study in Indian and Nepalese high-endemic villages. DAT-seroconversion was used as marker of incident infection in 3 yearly surveys. The study population was followed up to month 30 to identify incident clinical cases. In a cohort of 9034 DAT-negative individuals with neither active signs nor history of VL at baseline, 42 VL cases and 375 asymptomatic seroconversions were recorded in the first year, giving an infection:disease ratio of 8.9 to 1. In the 18 months' follow-up, 7 extra cases of VL were observed in the seroconverters group (N=375), against 14 VL cases among the individuals who had not seroconverted in the first year (N=8570) (RR=11.5(4.5<RR<28.3)). Incident asymptomatic L. donovani infection in VL high-endemic foci in India and Nepal is nine times more frequent than incident VL disease. About 1 in 50 of these new but latent infections led to VL within the next 18 months
Sero-epidemiological study of kala-azar in a village of Varanasi district, India
No full textObjective To evaluate five kala-azar serological tests for field use.
Method Serological survey in Pandit Ka Purva village in Varanasi district, India, using Sia water test, aldehyde test, direct agglutination test (DAT), micro-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and dot-ELISA.
Results The total population of the village was 518, 67 of whom showed typical clinical and parasitological features of kala-azar, including seven who died. The age distribution of kala-azar cases showed significant differences, being highest among the 45–54-year age group. The disease was more prevalent among males. Serum samples were collected from 498 persons (96% of total population) including 67 kala-azar cases and 40 disease controls (malaria, TB, leprosy, typhoid). Ten 10 serum samples from healthy controls living in endemic area were also collected. The test sensitivities were: Sia water test, 85.0%; aldehyde test, 62.7%; DAT, 94.0%; micro-ELISA, 91.0% and dot-ELISA, 97.0%. The test specificities were: Sia water test 92.5%, aldehyde test, 93.2%, DAT, 96.7; micro-ELISA, 97.6% and dot-ELISA, 98.4%.
Conclusion The dot-ELISA is highly sensitive and specific, cheap, and easy to interpret with the naked eye, making it a powerful screening test for the surveillance and diagnosis of Indian kala-azar at field level
Inlet patch: The under-explored island
No full text[No abstract available]Azar C, 2007, J CLIN GASTROENTEROL, V41, P468, DOI 10.1097-01.mcg.0000225519.59030.8d; GRAY SW, 1972, EMBRYOLOGY SURGEONS; Gutierrez O, 2003, AM J GASTROENTEROL, V98, P1266, DOI 10.1016-S0002-9270(03)00267-3; Jacobs E, 1997, ENDOSCOPY, V29, P710, DOI 10.1055-s-2007-1004294; Klaase JM, 2001, GASTROINTEST ENDOSC, V53, P101, DOI 10.1067-mge.2001.111394; Lauwers GY, 1998, DIGEST DIS SCI, V43, P901, DOI 10.1023-A:1018855223225; Maconi G, 2000, EUR J GASTROEN HEPAT, V12, P745, DOI 10.1097-00042737-200012070-00005; RATTNER HM, 1986, GASTROENTEROLOGY, V90, P130911
rK39 Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the diagnosis of Kala-Azar in an endemic zone of Bangladesh
No full textObjective: The diagnostic role of rK39 enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was compared with the buffy-coat Leishmania nested polymerase chain reaction (Ln-PCR) for kala-azar in an endemic zone of Bangladesh. Methodology: This evaluation study included 100 cases comprising of 60 clinically suspected patients of kala-azar and 40 healthy controls. Anti-rK39 antibody was estimated in plasma by ELISA and buffy coat was utilized to detect Leishmania DNA by Ln-PCR from both patients and controls. The diagnostic role of rK39 ELISA was then compared with Ln-PCR positive cases which were considered as confirmed cases of kala-azar. Results: Out of 60 suspected patients of kala-azar, 58 (96.67%) were found positive in ELISA against 56 (93.33%) of Ln-PCR-positive cases. Further, 55 (98.21%) of ELISA-positive patients were also found positive in Ln-PCR. Voluntary healthy controls (40) included 20 persons from the
endemic zone and 20 from non-endemic zone of kala-azar, were all found negative in both Ln-PCR and rK39-ELISA. The sensitivity and specificity of ELISA were found to be 98.21% and 95.65% respectively. Conclusion: rK39-ELISA is a non-invasive serodiagnostic tool for visceral leishmaniasis with very high sensitivity and specificity
Shared abscisic acid biosynthesis pathway across 600 million years of streptophyte evolution
No full textThe ability to produce abscisic acid enzymatically predates land plants, suggesting that its biosynthetic pathway evolved before its role as a signaling molecule in terrestrial adaptation
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