Anti-Leishmania IgG is a marker of disseminated leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania braziliensis

• Published in: International journal of infectious diseases 2021-05, Vol.106, p.83-90
• Main Authors: Magalhães, Andréa, Carvalho, Lucas P., Costa, Rúbia, Pita, Mônica S., Cardoso, Thiago Marconi, Machado, Paulo R.L., Carvalho, Edgar M., Arruda, Sérgio, Carvalho, Augusto M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cutaneous leishmaniasis; Disease severity; Disseminated leishmaniasis; IgG; IgG2; Leishmania braziliensis
• ISSN: 1201-9712; 1878-3511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.02.016

•Anti-Leishmania IgG is a marker of disseminated leishmaniasis.•Anti-Leishmania IgG correlates with Th1 immune response in disseminated leishmaniasis.•Anti-Leishmania IgG2 correlates with the number of lesions in disseminated leishmaniasis. In this study, we determined the accuracy of anti-Leishmania IgG and IgG subclasses to distinguish clinical forms of American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) and and determined the relationship between antibodies levels with cytokine production and severity of ATL. Participants were 40 patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), 20 patients with mucosal leishmaniasis (ML), 20 patients with disseminated leishmaniasis (DL), and 20 individuals with subclinical Leishmania braziliensis infection (SC). Diagnosis was performed by DNA of L. braziliensis or IFN-γ production in SC. IgG and subclasses of IgG to soluble Leishmania antigen and cytokine levels in supernatants of mononuclear cells were detected by ELISA. IgG was detected in 95%, 95%, and 100% of patients with CL, ML, and DL, respectively. Higher levels of anti-Leishmania IgG and IgG2 were seen in DL compared to CL, ML, and SC. ROC analysis confirmed the ability of IgG to distinguish DL from the other clinical forms. A direct correlation was observed between IgG titers and levels of IFN-γ and CXCL10 in CL and DL, and IgG2 antibodies were correlated with the number of lesions in DL. High anti-Leishmania IgG and IgG2 levels are characteristic of DL, and while IgG was correlated with pro-inflammatory cytokines, IgG2 was direct correlated with the number of lesions.