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Individuals with frequent exposures to agents spread through the parenteral route show a high prevalence of Leishmania seropositivity in Spain. However, the frequency of positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results for Leishmania in blood in this setting remains unknown. In this study, L. infantum kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) was found in blood from 23 (24%) of 95 asymptomatic individuals with a serum Leishmania antibody titer
1:20 and in none of 44 seronegative individuals. The greater the antibody titer, the greater the proportion of PCR-positive samples, but 16 (20%) of 81 individuals with antibody titers
1:40 tested positive by PCR. Nine (37%) PCR-positive and 22 (19%) (P = 0.03) PCR-negative individuals showed a positive leishmanin skin test result. This results show that a remarkable proportion of asymptomatic Leishmania-seropositive individuals at risk for parenterally transmitted infections carry Leishmania kDNA in blood. This is more common in subjects with a high serum Leishmania antibody level and a positive leishmanin skin test result.
Received March 26, 2003. Accepted for publication February 2, 2004.
Financial support: This work was supported in part by the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (FIS) (project 01/0831) and by the Junta de Andalucia (CVI 176).
Authors addresses: Joaquina Martín-Sánchez, Francisco Morillas-Márquez, and Carmen Acedo, Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, C/ Manuel Clavero s/n, Universidad de Granada, Campus Universitario de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain, Telephone: 34-95-8243857, Fax: 34-95 8243862, E-mails: joaquina{at}ugr.es, fmorilla{at}ugr.es, and Anlave{at}teleline.es. Juan A. Pineda, Unidad Clínica de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario de Valme, Carretera de Cádiz s/n, 41014 Seville, Spain, Telephone: 34-95-5015747, Fax: 34-95-5015747, E-mail: japineda{at}nacom.es. José A. García-García and Juan Macias, Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario de Valme, Carretera de Cádiz s/n, 41014 Seville, Spain, Telephone: 34-95-5015747, Fax: 34-95-5015747, E-mails: joseagar{at}supercable.es and jmacias{at}cica.es.
Reprint requests: Juan A. Pineda, Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario de Valme, Carretera de Cádiz s/n, 41014 Seville, Spain.
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