Antigens and their diagnostic performance for Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis: A critical review

Raissa Barbosa de Castro; João Victor Badaró de Moraes; Gustavo Costa Bressan; Raphael de Souza Vasconcellos; Abelardo Silva-Júnior; Juliana Lopes Rangel Fietto

doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2021.109638

Antigens and their diagnostic performance for Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis: A critical review

Vet Parasitol. 2022 Jan:301:109638. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2021.109638. Epub 2021 Dec 11.

Authors

Raissa Barbosa de Castro¹, João Victor Badaró de Moraes², Gustavo Costa Bressan¹, Raphael de Souza Vasconcellos¹, Abelardo Silva-Júnior³, Juliana Lopes Rangel Fietto⁴

Affiliations

¹ Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Av. P. H. Rolfs, s/n, Campus Universitário, CEP: 36570-000 Viçosa, MG, Brazil.
² Departamento de Biologia Geral, Av. P. H. Rolfs, s/n, Campus Universitário, CEP: 36570-000, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil.
³ Departamento de Veterinária, Av. P. H. Rolfs, s/n, Campus Universitário, CEP: 36570-000, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil.
⁴ Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Av. P. H. Rolfs, s/n, Campus Universitário, CEP: 36570-000 Viçosa, MG, Brazil. Electronic address: jufietto@ufv.br.

PMID: 34920304
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2021.109638

Abstract

Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) is the most aggressive and lethal form of leishmaniasis manifesting in dogs and represents a major public health concern. Although there are sufficiently sensitive molecular tools for CVL diagnosis, they are not accessible at the main points of disease dissemination, in which context serodiagnosis has been used as an alternative tool on the epidemiological control. As an attempt to develop more accurate immunodiagnostic assays, many antigens have been tested over the years, on different platforms. This review aimed to access studies reporting new antigens that can be applied for CVL serodiagnosis. Articles published from January of 2016 to March of 2021 were retrieved from Google Scholar, Science Direct, and PubMed, using "Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis" and "Serodiagnosis" as keywords. In total, 1527 articles were identified, of which 42 were selected based on exclusion factors. Sensitivity, specificity, sample size, and sample quality data were extracted by manual curation and analyzed. Of the selected articles, 26 contemplated ELISA, which enabled a more thorough comparison and a critical review of these studies. Soluble Leishmania Antigens (SLA) and the A2 protein were used as controls in 53.8 and 46.15 % of these articles, respectively, and were evaluated separately; their frequent use was questioned. Subsequently, articles that evaluated other assay platforms, such as immunochromatography, immunosensors, and others, were also reported and evaluated. Finally, data relative to validation studies of commercial kits were briefly discussed. Our results show that there are several antigens with great potential for the development of accurate diagnostic tools, but further testing is required. The critical analysis also brings insights that can be useful for more assertive diagnostic development of more robust tools for CVL serodiagnosis.

Keywords: Antigen screening; Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis; Diagnostic performance; Parasitology; Review paper; Serodiagnosis.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Antigens, Protozoan
Biosensing Techniques* / veterinary
Dog Diseases* / diagnosis
Dogs
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / veterinary
Immunoassay / veterinary
Leishmania infantum*
Leishmaniasis, Visceral* / diagnosis
Leishmaniasis, Visceral* / veterinary
Sensitivity and Specificity
Serologic Tests / veterinary

Substances

Antigens, Protozoan