The value of a direct agglutination test in the diagnosis of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis in Ethiopia.

The usefulness and sensitivity of a direct agglutination test (DAT) in the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania aethiopica infection has been investigated. Formalin-fixed, trypsin-treated and Coomassie blue-stained Leishmania promastigotes of various origins were used as antigens. L. major, L. donovani, L. aethiopica but not L. tropica antigen preparations were able to distinguish sera from individuals infected with Leishmania from sera of uninfected controls, although the titres of sera from patients with localized cutaneous leishmaniasis were low. Comparable results were obtained when the same sera were tested using freshly prepared antigen or antigen stored for 10 months at 4 degrees C. The assay was also used to monitor improvement of disease status following treatment of diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis patients, and it was found to correlate well with the changing clinical status of the patients.