Characterization of the humoral immune response in Sudanese leishmaniasis: specific antibody detected by class- and subclass-specific reagents.

Sera from Sudanese patients with either visceral or mucosal manifestations of infection with Leishmania were investigated to determine the class of antibodies against the causative parasite in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with intact promastigotes as antigen. All patient sera had significantly more IgG and more antiparasite IgG than did control Sudanese or control Dutch sera; little or no IgM or IgA antiparasite antibody activity was detected. When sera specific for the subclasses of IgG were used to detect the anti-promastigote antibodies, these were found in IgG1- and IgG3-specific ELISA but not in those for IgG2 or IgG4.