Species-specific detection of Leishmania in sandflies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Irit Adini, Raymond L. Jacobson, Mulkiye Kasap, Yosef Schlein, Charles L. Jaffe*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

A direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using species-specific monoclonal antibodies was developed for the detection and identification of Leishmania in sandflies. A titration of mock-infected Phlebotomus papatasi showed that fewer than 2000 L. major promastigotes could be detected. The percentage of infected P. papatasi collected in the field, as determined by dissection, was compared to that revealed by the ELISA. Both methods gave similar results, irrespective of whether the flies were caught by sticky papers or light-traps. The percentage of infected flies determined by either method was also similar in experimentally infected colony reared sandflies. The ELISA can be carried out using multiple species-specific antibodies, and is as accurate as identification of infected sandflies by microscopical examination. The technique should be useful for identifying sandfly species involved in transmitting different species of Leishmania, and for rapid assessment of leishmanial infection rates in endemic regions.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)35-37
Number of pages3
JournalTransactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume92
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1998

Keywords

  • Detection
  • Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
  • Infection
  • Israel
  • Leishmania major
  • Leishmaniasis
  • Phlebotomus papatasi

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