EVALUATION OF OUTER MEMBRANE PROTEIN BASED IgM DOT ENZYME LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY FOR THE RAPID DIAGNOSIS OF CANINE LEPTOSPIROSIS
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Date
2011
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COLLEGE OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES-MANNUTHY,THRISSUR
Abstract
Leptospirosis is an important public health threat in many places of south
India, including Kerala. Diagnosis of leptospirosis is mostly dependent on serological
methods. The undercurrent antibodies caused due to prior infection or vaccination,
complicate the confirmation of disease, especially in an endemic region. Therefore,
tests based on detecting leptospiral IgM antibodies can serve as a useful approach in
diagnosing acute canine leptospirosis. The potential of IgM dot ELISA for diagnosis
of acute canine leptospirosis was evaluated in this study.
A total of 114 canine serum samples collected from clinical cases during the
period of September, 2009 to January, 2011, presented at University Veterinary
Hospitals at Mannuthy and Kokkalai, Thrissur were employed in the study. The
samples included those collected from 22 healthy vaccinated animals and 28 healthy
unvaccinated animals. The rest of the samples were taken from cases suspected for
acute leptospirosis.
Among 114 samples screened with MAT, 86 were positive cases, out of which
81 gave positive reaction with LAT. Among the 28 cases shown as negative by MAT,
23 showed a negative reaction with LAT.
Among 81 cases diagnosed as positive by both, MAT and LAT, 13 samples
showed positive results with IgM dot ELISA, showing a prevalence of 16.04 per cent.
The serum samples from the healthy vaccinated animals and the healthy unvaccinated
animals were shown as negative, when tested with IgM dot ELISA, proving the
specificity of the test. Convalescent sera, collected from 8 cases among the 13
positive reactors of IgM dot ELISA when screened with MAT showed a four-fold
increase in MAT titers, proving the sensitivity of the test.
Latex agglutination test used in the study could prove useful as a convenient
screening test for leptospirosis, under field conditions. However, LAT failed to
differentiate between acute and chronic carriers of the infection. The OMP based IgM
dot ELISA reported in the study would thus be of great value in diagnosing acute
cases of canine leptospirosis. The test being rapid and economical, not requiring any
special equipment or technical expertise, makes it suitable as a field level test.
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