For better efficiency in the establishment of American tegumentary
leishmaniasis clinical cure, the World Health Organization suggests that the clinical criteria are supported by serologic data. The present study aims to investigate the dynamics of
IgG subclass production in clinical evolution post-treatment of
cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Paired sera from 23 subjects with CL resulting from Leishmania braziliensis
infection were studied during the active lesion phase (aCL) and after clinical cure post-
therapy (hCL), which included an alternative protocol with a low dose of
antimony. Anti-Leishmania
IgG and its subclasses were measured using ELISA, and the
immunoglobulin levels were correlated with patients' clinical data. All of the subjects were clinically healed and did not present relapse during follow-up. Serum levels of anti-Leishmania
IgG (r = -0·79; P < 0·0001),
IgG1 (r = -0·64, P < 0·001) and
IgG3 (r = -0·42, P < 0·045) in hCL were negatively correlated with the duration of clinical cure. After 24 months of clinical cure, 73% of samples were negative for
IgG1 and 78% were negative for
IgG3. In conclusion, the detection of serum anti-Leishmania
IgG1 and
IgG3 is an improved laboratory strategy to aid in the decision of interruption of the ambulatory follow-up of CL patients.