Comparative Study of Serological Test for the Diagnosis of Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis: Technical Note

The goal of present study was to compare the agreement between the results obtained by ELISA, IF1 and WB tests in 72 canine serums from the South of the Tolima Department (a vis-ceral leishmaniasis endemic area). The Colombian Leishmania infantum MHOM/CO/CL044B strain was used as antigen for ELISA, IFI and WB test, and the rK39 antigen for the commercial ELISA test. The agreement among the compared techniques was smaller than 16% (k<16%), suggesting that the tests are not consistent and therefore not acceptable as a diagnostic tool in this study. The low association between the serological tests used in diagnosing Leishmania infantum suggested the need for further studies aimed at establishing an algorithm for diagnostic tests in Colombia for confirming the real state of the animals' infection and thereby efficiently orientating public health resources allocated for controlling visceral leishmaniasis.