Short report: occurrence of Leishmania donovani DNA in donated blood from seroreactive Brazilian blood donors.

Abstract	Human visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) transmitted by blood transfusion has been described in previous reports. Seroprevalence of antibodies to Leishmania donovani was shown to be related to prior blood transfusions in multiply transfused hemodialysis patients in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. In this study, a possible correlation between seroreactivity and the presence of L. donovani DNA was investigated in asymptomatic healthy blood donors. Sera were tested using the fucose mannose ligand (FML) ELISA, which was shown to have a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 96-100%, reliability, and diagnostic and prognostic potential for the detection of human and canine kala-azar, respectively. Leishmanial DNA was assessed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and dot-blot hybridization techniques in blood and bone marrow samples. Among 21 FML-seroreactive asymptomatic blood donors, 5 (24%) were positive by the PCR and 9 (43%) were positive in a dot-blot assay of blood samples, showing a significant correlation (chi2 = 14.24, P < 0.01). No Leishmania DNA was detected in 20 FML non-reactive blood donors. Our results point to the need for control of transmission of kala-azar by blood transfusion in areas endemic for this disease.
Authors	A C Otero, V O da Silva, K G Luz, M Palatnik, C Pirmez, O Fernandes, C B Palatnik de Sousa
Journal	The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene (Am J Trop Med Hyg) Vol. 62 Issue 1 Pg. 128-31 (Jan 2000) ISSN: 0002-9637 [Print] United States
PMID	10761737 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
Chemical References	Antibodies, Protozoan DNA Primers DNA, Protozoan Lectins fucose-binding lectin
Topics	Animals Antibodies, Protozoan (analysis, blood) Blood Donors Bone Marrow (parasitology) Brazil (epidemiology) DNA Primers (chemistry) DNA, Protozoan (blood, chemistry, isolation & purification) Electrophoresis, Agar Gel Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Humans Lectins (blood) Leishmania donovani (genetics, immunology, isolation & purification) Leishmaniasis, Visceral (blood, diagnosis, epidemiology) Nucleic Acid Hybridization Polymerase Chain Reaction Sensitivity and Specificity Seroepidemiologic Studies Transfusion Reaction

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