Asymptomatic human carriers of Leishmania chagasi.

Carlos H N Costa Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. costa@ranet.com.br

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Jay M Stewart Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. costa@ranet.com.br

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Régis B B Gomes Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. costa@ranet.com.br

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Lourdes M Garcez Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. costa@ranet.com.br

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Patrícia K S Ramos Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. costa@ranet.com.br

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Marcelo Bozza Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. costa@ranet.com.br

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Abhay Satoskar Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. costa@ranet.com.br

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Senarath Dissanayake Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. costa@ranet.com.br

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Regina S Santos Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. costa@ranet.com.br

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Mauro R B Silva Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. costa@ranet.com.br

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Jeffrey J Shaw Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. costa@ranet.com.br

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John R David Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. costa@ranet.com.br

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James H Maguire Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. costa@ranet.com.br

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.2002.66.334
Volume/Issue:
Volume 66: Issue 4
Page(s):
334–337
Restricted access
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In Brazil, programs based on elimination of infected dogs have not curtailed the spread of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), suggesting that other reservoirs of infection exist. Persons with active VL can infect the sand fly vector, but in endemic areas, persons with asymptomatic infections, whose infectivity to sand flies is unknown, are far more numerous. In this study, a polymerase chain reaction-based assay detected kinetoplast DNA of Leishmania chagasi in the blood of eight of 108 asymptomatic persons living with patients with recently diagnosed VL. These eight persons had low or unmeasurable levels of IgG antibodies to Leishmania, demonstrating the insensitivity of serology for subclinical infection. All eight persons had positive leishmanin skin test results, as did 70% of persons living in households of persons with active VL. Even if a small proportion of such asymptomatic persons are infective to sand flies, they represent a formidable reservoir of infection in endemic areas.

Author Notes

Published Online:
Apr 2002
Cover The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Print ISSN:
0002-9637
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