Leptospirosis reference and diagnostic services
Download documents
- Poster proficiency testing of leptospirosis MAT August 2004 (3.6 Mb)
- WHO ILS Leptospirosis Guidelines May 2003 (561 kb)
Related Items
Links
- ILS - International Leptospirosis Society
- National Center for Infectious Diseases - Leptospirosis protocol (in Dutch)
- WHO - Leptospirosis
KIT Biomedical Research harbours a Leptospirosis Reference Laboratory (WHO/FAO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis) and an OIE Reference Laboratory for Leptospirosis and Nationaal Referentielaboratorium voor Leptospirosen (NRL). It maintains a collection of Leptospira reference strains and offers a variety of reference materials and services to the health care community, including training on an individual basis or through international courses. It performs research on a number of topics in the field.
Diagnostic services
After infection, leptospires are present in the blood until they are cleared after 5 to 10 days after onset of the disease following the production of anti-Leptospira antibodies, initially mainly of the IgM class. The laboratory diagnosis of leptospirosis mainly relies on the detection of these anti-Leptospira antibodies in patients' serum.
- The microscopic agglutination test (MAT) is the cornerstone of the serodiagnosis of leptospirosis, because this assay has a high sensitivity and allows for the detection of presumptive group-specific antibodies.
- The IgM-ELISA has the capacity to detect with a high sensitivity specific IgM antibodies as a sign of current or recent leptospirosis.
- In the first few days of leptospirosis there is a diagnostic breach, as conventional methods cannot provide early diagnosis. PCR is a successful method to detect Leptospira DNA in serum in the first week of infection. A real time PCR has been developed and is in the process of validation. Currently this test is performed on an experimental basis.
Approach
KIT Biomedical Research aims at the improvement of public health. We provide leptospirosis diagnostic services as well as reference materials and services at a national and international scale with a focus on economical deprived countries, mainly in the tropics where leptospirosis is endemic.
KIT Biomedical Research also serves as a knowledge centre and gives advice to researchers, policy makers, and health workers at all levels, and to international organisations such as WHO.
Focal points
- Diagnosis of leptospirosis
- Execution of (national) surveillance
- Serological and molecular typing of Leptospira isolates
- Epidemiology and disease burden of leptospirosis.
- Advice to researchers, policy makers, health workers and international organizations
Projects
- Website for Leptospirosis Development Surveillance (LEPTONET)
- WHO/FAO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis
- OIE Reference Laboratory for Leptospirosis
- National Reference Laboratory for Leptospiroses
Publications
- Chappel, R.J. - Impact of proficiency testing on results of the microscopic agglutination test for the diagnosis of leptospirosis.
- Mgode, G.F. - New Leptospira serovar Sokoine of serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae from cattle in Tanzania.
- Priya, C.G. - Field rats form a major infection source of leptospirosis in and around Madurai, India.