Abstract

OBREGON FUENTES, Ana Margarita; FERNANDEZ MOLINA, Carmen  and  RODRIGUEZ, José. Lepto tek dip stick and lepto tek dri dot, useful techniques in rapid diagnosis of human leptospirosis. Rev Cubana Hig Epidemiol [online]. 2005, vol.43, n.3, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1561-3003.

Serious cases and risk groups suspected of having human leptospirosis were studied bymeans of rapid diagnosis kits known as lepto tek dri dot and lepto tek dip stick in the National Reference Laboratory of Leptospira of “Pedro Kourí” Tropical Medicine Institute (IPK). The new kits were experimentally compared with the conventional serological techniques such as indirect hemagglutination (HA) and microagglutination (MAT). The study was conducted from January to May, 2002. Of 40 suspected patients in critical condition, 20 were positive according to lepto tek dip stick and 10 were positive according to HA results. Twenty and nine patients were positive by lepto tek dri dot and MAT test respectively. The main serogroups found by MAT were Seijroe and Canicola. The coincidence index between lepto tek dip stick and HA was 72,5% whereas that of lepto tek dri dot and MAT was 70%. On the other hand, the coincidence index between the two new techniques was 80 % whereas that of the conventional methods was 85 %. This same parameter measured between lepto tek dip stick and MAT was 85 %, and between lepto tek dri dot and HA was 70 %. The introduction of kits lepto tek dri dot and lepto tek dip stick made it possible to detect specific antibodies to leptospira in human leptospirosis-positive cases. Of 485 monosera from 424 patients of the risk group, 19 were positive and 44 reactive by HA test. MAT revealed 64 positive and 172 reactive monosera. Lepto tek dri dot detected 134 positive cases. In this regard, the coincidence index between MAT and lepto tek dri dot was 59 % for a total number of 251 coincident cases. The implementation of the state-of-the-art technology known as lepto tek dri dot allowed achieving immediately a rapid result for the final confirmation of each case under study.

Keywords : Leptospirosis; serology; diagnosis; lepto tek dip stick; lepto tek dri dot.

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