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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 77(3), 2007, pp. 547-550
Copyright © 2007 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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SHORT REPORT


Differentiation of Patients with Leprosy from Non-Infected Individuals by the Chemokine Eotaxin/CCL11

Vanessa A. Mendonça, Luiz C. Malaquias, Gustavo E. Brito-Melo, Alexandre Castelo-Branco, Carlos M. Antunes, Antonio L. Ribeiro, Mauro M. Teixeira, AND Antonio L. Teixeira*
Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, e Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e do Mucuri, Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Núcleo de Pesquisa em Imunologia, Universidade Vale do Rio Doce, Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil

 

ABSTRACT

Diagnosis of leprosy is usually made clinically and there are no tests available for the routine laboratory diagnosis of the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of chemokines as biologic markers of disease activity. We used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to measure chemokines in plasma of patients with leprosy (LE) and non-infected (NI) individuals. There were significantly greater concentrations of the chemokines CCL3 and CCL11 in plasma of LE patients than in NI individuals. When the use of CCL11 to differentiate LE patients versus NI individuals was evaluated, the area under the receiver-operator-characteristic curve was 0.95 ± 0.03 (P < 0.0001). In a group of selected individuals, CCL11 was useful in diagnosis of leprosy, thereby suggesting that measurement of this chemokine may be useful as an aid in diagnosing leprosis.

Received December 18, 2006. Accepted for publication June 6, 2007.

Acknowledgments: We thank Dr. Andressa Macieiro (coordinator) and the staff workers at Centro de Referência em Doenças Endêmicas e Programas Especiais for recruiting leprosy patients. We also thank the technical assistants at Núcleo de Pesquisas em Imunologia at Governador Valadares for their assistance.

Financial support: This work was supported by grants from Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais e Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil.

* Address correspondence to Antonio L. Teixeira, Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia, Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. E-mail: altexr{at}gmail.com

Authors’ addresses: Vanessa A. Mendonça, Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil 31270-901 and Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e do Mucuri, Rua da Glória, 187, Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil 39100.000. Luiz C. Malaquias, Núcleo de Pesquisa em Imunologia, Universidade Vale do Rio Doce, Rua Israel Pinheiro, 2000, Bairro Universitário, Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil 35020-220. Gustavo E. Brito-Melo, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e do Mucuri, Rua da Glória, 187, Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil 39100.000. Alexandre Castelo-Branco, Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Governador Valadares, Rua Orbis Clube, 20, Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil 35020-220. Carlos M. Antunes and Mauro M. Teixeira, Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil 31270-901. Antonio L. Ribeiro, Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Av. Alfredo Balena, 190, Santa Efigênia, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil 30130-100. Antonio L. Teixeira, Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil 31270-901 and Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Alfredo Balena, 190, Santa Efigênia, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil 30130-100.






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Copyright © 2007 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.