Diagnostic Antigens of "Leishmania Tropica"
Abstract
The deployment of troops during the Gulf War resulted in exposure of individuals to the parasite Leishmania tropica. In some individuals this exposure has resulted in an unusual pathology, with a wide range of symptoms, including fever, nausea, and fatigue. The number of infected individuals remains unknown at this time due to the extreme difficulty in isolation of the parasite combined with a lack of common symptoms to aid in diagnosis. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop sensitive methods to detect infection by L. tropica, or related species, in military personnel. We have previously isolated and characterized L. tropica antigens reactive with sera from L. tropica infected Desert Storm soldiers. The effort in the past year has been to further evaluate the diagnostic capabilities of a previously identified L. tropica antigen, through testing and optimization of synthetic peptides derived from this antigen. Effort has also been directed at recovery of additional immunodominant Leishmania antigens, specifically potent T cell antigens secreted by Leishmania promastigotes. Strategies to identify promastigote secreted antigens have resulted in the isolation of several novel antigens. These antigens are currently being expressed and evaluated both for cellular responses and serological reactivity in L. tropica infected individuals.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA342250
Entities
People
- Steven G Reed