Interleukin-2 as a marker for detecting asymptomatic individuals in areas where Leishmania infantum is endemic. (August 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ibarra-Meneses, A.V.; Carrillo, E.; Sánchez, C.; García-Martínez, J.; López Lacomba, D.; San Martin, J.V.; Alves, F.; Alvar, J.; Moreno, J.
• Is Part Of: Clinical microbiology and infection. Volume 22:Number 8(2016)
• Page Start: 739.e1
• Page End: 739.e4
• Publication Date: 2016-08
• Subjects: Asymptomatic -- Interferon-γ release assay -- Interleukin-2 -- Leishmaniasis -- Marker; Medical microbiology -- Periodicals; Diagnostic microbiology -- Periodicals; Communicable diseases -- Periodicals; Infection -- Periodicals; 616.01
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2016.05.021
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1198-743X

Abstract

Abstract: No field method exists for identifying asymptomatic individuals in areas where Leishmania infantum is endemic. This work reports that, 24 h after stimulating whole blood with soluble Leishmania antigen (SLA), plasma interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) become significantly elevated in samples from asymptomatic individuals ( n = 47) compared with those from negative controls ( n = 50), all of them recruited from a blood bank. When compared with the reference test SLA-lymphoproliferative assay, IL-2 appears as a new, 100% sensitive and specific marker for asymptomatic individuals with a positive cellular response (compared with 100% and 84.78%, respectively, for IFN-γ). Further studies in other transmission areas and in other cohorts of exposed people need to be performed to confirm these results. Once validated, IFN-γ and IL-2 levels in SLA-stimulated whole blood could be reliably used in the field to estimate the prevalence of those asymptomatic individuals with Leishmania -specific cellular immune responses.