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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 80(3), 2009, pp. 345-346
Copyright © 2009 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Longitudinal Seroepidemiologic Study of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Hyperendemic Regions of Bihar, India

Kamlesh Gidwani, Rajiv Kumar, Madhukar Rai, AND Shyam Sundar*
Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

We conducted a seroepidemiologic study of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in hyperendemic communities in Bihar, India, to determine its seroprevalence. A direct agglutination test (DAT) and rK39 antigen strip test were used as serologic tests. Capillary blood samples were collected on filter papers from 870 healthy persons (574 and 296 from households with or without VL, respectively). Of these persons, 230 (26.43%) were positive by DAT (titer > 1:1,600) and 120 (13.79%) were positive by the rK39 antigen strip test. During a two-year follow-up, 25 persons developed VL; 1 and 8 persons were positive by the rK39 strip test and DAT, respectively, and 1 was positive by both tests. Fifteen (2.57%) persons who were seronegative at baseline also developed VL. Disease occurred more among persons living in the same household (24 of 25). However, there was no significant difference in disease conversion among children (5–15 years of age) and adults (> 15 years of age). Seropositivity among asymptomatic persons is not a predictor for development of VL.

Received April 9, 2008. Accepted for publication September 27, 2008.

Financial support: This study was supported by the Kala-azar Medical Research Center, Sitaram Memorial Trust, Muzaffarpur, India. Rajiv Kumar was supported by a fellowship from the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India.

* Address correspondence to Shyam Sundar, Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India. E-mail: drshyamsundar{at}hotmail.com

Authors’ address: Kamlesh Gidwani, Rajiv Kumar, Madhukar Rai, and Shyam Sundar, Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India.






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Copyright © 2009 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.