TABLE 2.
Serologic reactivities of patients with documented VL, patients with suspected VL, and patients with other parasitic infections by IHA, IFA, and the strip-test for detection of anti-leishmania IgG antibodies
| Study group | No. (%) of patients positive
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | IHA | IFA | Strip-test | |
| Documented VL patients | 21 | 21 (100) | 21 (100) | 19 (90.5) |
| Suspected VL patients | 72 | 23a (31.9) | 17a (23.6) | 12a (16.7) |
| Patients with: | ||||
| Helminth and protozoan infections | 70 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Malaria | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Schistosomiasis | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Amoebic liver abscess | 25 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Healthy controls | 75 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
a
Microscopy of Giemsa-stained splenic aspiration smears was done to detect Leishmania amastigotes. Fifteen of the IHA-positive patients, 13 of the IFA-positive patients, and 12 of the strip-test-positive patients had amastigotes in their bone marrow smears and were labeled as having confirmed cases of VL.