A method for diagnosing visceral leishmaniasis in a patient by identification of a new key marker namely 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoconjugate

摘要

A hemagglutination method for diagnosing and assessing acute visceral leishmaniasis in a patient suspected of suffering from visceral leishmaniasis, which method comprises: collecting an anticoagulated blood sample from said patient; separating erythrocytes from said anticoagulated blood sample and preparing an erythrocyte suspension by washing and resuspending said separated erythrocytes in an isotonic salt solution; providing serial dilutions of Achatinin-H which specifically binds 9-O acetylsialic acid; reacting each dilution with an equal sized aliquot of said erythrocyte suspension at temperature from 4o - 35oC in the presence of calcium ions for a time sufficient for said Achatinin-H to bind and thereby agglutinate any erythrocytes having said 9-O-acetylatedsialic acid on their surfaces, and determining a hemagglutination titre taking the reciprocal of the highest serial dilution that produced visible agglutination wherein positive hemagglutination indicates a positive diagnosis of said acute visceral leishmaniasis in said patient and titre indicates the level of circulating leishmania parasites. 1094 כ" ח באלול התש" ס - September 28, 2000