OBJECTIVE: We investigated the prevalence of antibodies against PGL-I in people affected by leprosy (PAL) who were diagnosed and treated between 2004 and 2010, their household contacts (HC) and school children (SC) from a hyperendemic municipality in the Brazilian Amazon, and determined the prevalence of previously undiagnosed leprosy (PPUL) among both the HC and SC. DESIGN: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 87 PAL, 302 HC and 188 SC. The subjects were clinically assessed, and their levels of anti-PGL-I antibodies were determined by ELISA. The subjects were also interviewed to determine their demographic and socio-economic characteristics. RESULTS: For PAL, a mean of 44 (SD = 21.8) months had passed since their initial diagnosis, and 34 (39%) of them remained seropositive. The level of anti-PGL-I antibodies was significantly higher in multibacillary (MB) than in paucibacillary (PB) cases (P < 0.05). Thirty-nine percent of HC were positive for anti-PGL-I, and we detected eight (2.6%) new cases among these individuals. One hundred and twenty-five SC (66.5%) were seropositive, and we detected nine (4.8%) new cases of leprosy (eight PB and one MB) in this group. When we visited the homes of SC affected by leprosy, 31 contacts were clinically examined, and three (10%) new cases were detected (one PB and two MB). The mean age of students with leprosy was 14.1 years (SD = 2.5; min = 10, max = 18). CONCLUSION: The seroepidemiology of anti-PGL-I and the PPUL among both HC and SC suggests that there are many active foci of infection and that Mycobacterium leprae is circulating among this population.
OBJECTIVE: We investigated the prevalence of antibodies against PGL-I in people affected by leprosy (PAL) who were diagnosed and treated between 2004 and 2010, their household contacts (HC) and school children (SC) from a hyperendemic municipality in the Brazilian Amazon, and determined the prevalence of previously undiagnosed leprosy (PPUL) among both the HC and SC. DESIGN: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 87 PAL, 302 HC and 188 SC. The subjects were clinically assessed, and their levels of anti-PGL-I antibodies were determined by ELISA. The subjects were also interviewed to determine their demographic and socio-economic characteristics. RESULTS: For PAL, a mean of 44 (SD = 21.8) months had passed since their initial diagnosis, and 34 (39%) of them remained seropositive. The level of anti-PGL-I antibodies was significantly higher in multibacillary (MB) than in paucibacillary (PB) cases (P < 0.05). Thirty-nine percent of HC were positive for anti-PGL-I, and we detected eight (2.6%) new cases among these individuals. One hundred and twenty-five SC (66.5%) were seropositive, and we detected nine (4.8%) new cases of leprosy (eight PB and one MB) in this group. When we visited the homes of SC affected by leprosy, 31 contacts were clinically examined, and three (10%) new cases were detected (one PB and two MB). The mean age of students with leprosy was 14.1 years (SD = 2.5; min = 10, max = 18). CONCLUSION: The seroepidemiology of anti-PGL-I and the PPUL among both HC and SC suggests that there are many active foci of infection and that Mycobacterium leprae is circulating among this population.
Authors: Alexandre C de Macedo; Juliana A Guimarães; Raphael O Rodrigues; Thiago D V Araújo; Clodis M Tavares; Paula B Cabral; Maria Isabel de Moraes-Pinto; Aparecida T Nagao-Dias Journal: J Clin Lab Anal Date: 2017-06-08 Impact factor: 2.352
Authors: Ana Paula Mendes Carvalho; Angélica da Conceição Oliveira Coelho Fabri; Rodrigo Corrêa Oliveira; Francisco Carlos Félix Lana Journal: BMC Infect Dis Date: 2015-05-30 Impact factor: 3.090
Authors: Moises B da Silva; Juliana M Portela; Wei Li; Mary Jackson; Mercedes Gonzalez-Juarrero; Andrea Sánchez Hidalgo; John T Belisle; Raquel C Bouth; Angélica R Gobbo; Josafá G Barreto; Antonio H H Minervino; Stewart T Cole; Charlotte Avanzi; Philippe Busso; Marco A C Frade; Annemieke Geluk; Claudio G Salgado; John S Spencer Journal: PLoS Negl Trop Dis Date: 2018-06-28
Authors: Francisco Carlos Félix Lana; Angélica da Conceição Oliveira Coelho Fabri; Fabiana Nascimento Lopes; Ana Paula Mendes Carvalho; Fernanda Moura Lanza Journal: J Trop Med Date: 2013-03-19