METHODS: Microscopic agglutination test (MAT)-positive and MAT-negative human serum samples (n=30) from patients with leptospirosis were obtained from the Public Health Laboratory, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia and control serum samples (n=10) were obtained from healthy student volunteers. We estimated the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-α in serum samples by a Luminex assay.
RESULTS: The levels of IL-6, IL-8, and IL1-β were significantly higher in 13% of the patients with leptospirosis compared to the healthy controls, while the levels of IL-10 and TNF-α were not elevated in either group.
CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that elevated levels of IL-6, IL- 8, and IL1-β may be associated with leptospirosis disease severity, which requires patient follow-up for confirmation.
Methods: Here, we describe an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using the synthetic recombinant LipL32 (rLipL32) protein expressed in Escherichia coli for the detection of Leptospira-specific antibodies in human serum samples. The rLipL32-based ELISA was compared with a microscopic agglutination test (MAT), which is currently used as the gold standard for the diagnosis of leptospirosis.
Results: Our results showed that all the MAT-positive serum samples were positive for Leptospira-specific IgG in an ELISA, while 65% (n = 13) of these samples were also positive for Leptospira-specific IgM. In the MAT-negative serum samples, 80% and 55% of the samples were detected as negative by an ELISA for Leptospira-specific IgM and IgG, respectively.
Conclusion: An ELISA using the synthetic rLipL32 antigen was able to distinguish Leptospira-specific IgM (sensitivity 65% and specificity 80%) and IgG (sensitivity 100% and specificity 55%) in human serum samples and has the potential to serve as a rapid diagnostic test for leptospirosis.