Serological screening for Leishmania infantum in asymptomatic blood donors living in an endemic area (Sicily, Italy)

Colomba, Claudia; Saporito, Laura; Polara, Valentina Frasca; Barone, Teresa; Corrao, A.; Titone, Lucina

doi:10.1016/j.transci.2005.07.009

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Anti-Leishmania antibodies were found in 11 (0.75%) cases, among which Leishmania DNA was detected in four [41]. A previous screening of asymptomatic blood donors from northwestern Sicily, Italy did not detect any positive sample of L. infantum antibodies by ELISA [42]. These data confirm that the risk of TTL seems to be variable in different endemic/non-endemic Sicilian areas [41].…”

Section: Asymptomatic Cases Of Leishmania Infection and Studies On Blsupporting

confidence: 61%

Transfusion transmitted leishmaniasis. What to do with blood donors from endemic areas?

Mansueto

Seidita

Vitale

2014

Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease

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Summary Leishmaniasis clinical spectrum ranges from cryptic infection to fatal visceral leishmaniasis. Cryptic infection can be found in blood donors from areas endemic for leishmaniasis all over the world. Although leishmaniasis is a classic vector-borne disease, cases of transfusion transmitted leishmaniasis have been reported especially in nonendemic areas. Most of these cases regarded infants or children. This paper reviews the literature on this specific feature and the impact of leishmaniasis on transfusion medicine. Relevant literature was found through PubMed. The reference lists of selected articles identified further sources. Conclusions: Blood donations by emigrants or travelers from endemic areas require special attention. Routine diagnostic methods should be implemented in blood banks to exclude donors that are positive for Leishmania, and individuals who suffered from visceral leishmaniasis should be prohibited from donating blood. The use of leukodepletion filters at the time of collection should be recommended in at-risk areas especially for high-risk recipients. ª

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Section: Asymptomatic Cases Of Leishmania Infection and Studies On Blsupporting

confidence: 61%

Transfusion transmitted leishmaniasis. What to do with blood donors from endemic areas?

Mansueto

Seidita

Vitale

2014

Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease

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“…This is in accordance with the low incidence of reported cases of VL in Italy, which is one of European countries with a slight endemicity. Furthermore, recent studies carried out in our region showed a low prevalence of seropositivity for L. infantum in blood donors [17,18]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Cryptic Leishmania infantum infection in Italian HIV infected patients

et al. 2009

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BackgroundVisceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a protozoan diseases caused in Europe by Leishmania (L.) infantum. Asymptomatic Leishmania infection is more frequent than clinically apparent disease. Among HIV infected patients the risk of clinical VL is increased due to immunosuppression, which can reactivate a latent infection. The aims of our study were to assess the prevalence of asymptomatic L. infantum infection in HIV infected patients and to study a possible correlation between Leishmania parasitemia and HIV infection markers.MethodsOne hundred and forty-five HIV infected patients were screened for the presence of anti-Leishmania antibodies and L. infantum DNA in peripheral blood. Statistical analysis was carried out by using a univariate regression analysis.ResultsAntibodies to L. infantum were detected in 1.4% of patients. L. infantum DNA was detected in 16.5% of patients. Significant association for PCR-Leishmania levels with plasma viral load was documented (p = 0.0001).ConclusionIn our area a considerable proportion of HIV infected patients are asymptomatic carriers of L. infantum infection. A relationship between high HIV viral load and high parasitemic burden, possibly related to a higher risk of developing symptomatic disease, is suggested. PCR could be used for periodic screening of HIV patients to individuate those with higher risk of reactivation of L. infantum infection.

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“…Moreover, the above tests frequently give false-negative results in immunocompromised patients even in the presence of positive kDNA amplification (23), making their sensitivity unsatisfactory for detecting asymptomatic Leishmania infection, which is characterized by low or intermittent parasitemia. Consequently, it is not surprising that data from IFAT, DAT, or ELISA have shown low seroprevalence among healthy subjects living in Mediterranean areas of high endemicity (11,48) or even in Middle Eastern areas, where parasitemia, evidenced by DNA amplification, may be present in 16% of the healthy population (16) ( Table 2). On the other hand, the high sensitivity of qualitative techniques such as immunoblotting (24,32,39,41) makes them excellent epidemiological tools for detecting past contact with the parasite, as well as ideal candidates for diagnosing subclinical infections.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asymptomatic Leishmania infantum Infection in an Area of Northwestern Italy (Piedmont Region) Where Such Infections Are Traditionally Nonendemic

et al. 2010

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The prevalence of Leishmania infantum-specific antibodies and asymptomatic infection was assessed in a randomized sample of 526 healthy adults from a continental area of Northwestern Italy where L. infantum is not endemic and where autochthonous cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) were recently reported. L. infantum-specific antibodies were detected by Western blotting (WB) in 39 subjects (7.41%), while L. infantum kinetoplast DNA was amplified from buffy coat in 21 out of 39 WB-positive subjects, confirming asymptomatic infection in 53.8% of seropositives. Risk factors significantly associated with WB positivity were uninterrupted residence since childhood in a local rural environment (odds ratio [OR], 3.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7 to 7.3), daily contact with animals though not exclusively with dogs (OR, 3.7; 95% CI, 1.3 to 10.7), older age (OR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.2 to 4.5), and agricultural/other outdoor activities (OR, 3.8; 95% CI, 0.99 to 3.7.) Logistic regression analysis showed that uninterrupted residence in a local rural environment and an age of >65 years were the only independent predictors of seropositivity assessed by WB. Follow-up at 24 months did not show evidence of VL in either seropositive or PCR-positive subjects. The detection of a high seroprevalence rate, confirmed as asymptomatic infection by PCR in more than half of the cases, among healthy residents in a continental area of northwestern Italy makes local L. infantum transmission very likely. In a region where VL is considered nonendemic, these findings warrant further epidemiological investigations as well as interventions with respect to both the canine reservoir and vectors, given the possible risks for immunosuppressed patients.

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Serological screening for Leishmania infantum in asymptomatic blood donors living in an endemic area (Sicily, Italy)

Cited by 21 publications

References 17 publications

Transfusion transmitted leishmaniasis. What to do with blood donors from endemic areas?

Transfusion transmitted leishmaniasis. What to do with blood donors from endemic areas?

Cryptic Leishmania infantum infection in Italian HIV infected patients

Asymptomatic Leishmania infantum Infection in an Area of Northwestern Italy (Piedmont Region) Where Such Infections Are Traditionally Nonendemic

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