Leptospira IgM ELISA

Bacteria from rat urine

For the purpose of diagnosing leptospirosis, the most common zoonotic disease, IBL International now offers a new highly sensitive and specific ELISA for the detection of IgM and IgG antibodies :

• Diagnostic sensitivity >99%; diagnostic specificity >96%
• Indication: clinical suspicion of leptospirosis/Weil's disease
• Detection of the immune response against all Leptospira serotypes
• Qualitative results (positive, negative, cut-off control)
• Adaptable to open-system ELISA analyzers

Leptospirosis is an acute to chronic zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic species of Leptospira. The sources of infection are rodents, mainly rats and mice. The animals excrete the pathogens in the urine. They can enter the human body through small cuts in the skin. The number of new cases worldwide is estimated at 300,000 to 500,000 cases. Major outbreaks have been observed in particular in the setting of flooding. In the industrialized nations, local outbreaks occur primarily in the context of recreational activities such as water sports or boat trips. Approximately 90% of patients have mild flu-like symptoms. The severe course of disease, also known as Weil's disease, is characterized by bleeding, renal failure, jaundice and fatal complications.

Pathogens can be recovered from blood cultures only in the first phase of the disease. The culture takes quite a long time as well, meaning that a successful antibiotic treatment cannot be instituted in a timely manner. For this reason, serological methods are increasingly used. The serological reference method is the microagglutination test, which, however, is time-consuming and carries a risk of infection because it employs live cultures. This accounts for the special significance of the ELISA method for the determination of specific antibodies, which can be detected within 5-7 days after the onset of clinical symptoms. The presence of specific IgM antibodies is conclusive for acute illness.

Evaluation of the diagnostic performance of Leptospira IgM ELISA

Method comparison of IBL International Leptospira IgM ELISA with the Leptospira IgM classic ELISA (Serion)

The comparison of 37 positive and negative sera resulted in an agreement of 96.7%.

Evaluation of the diagnostic performance of Leptospira IgG ELISA

Method comparison of IBL International Leptospira IgG ELISA with the Leptospira IgG classic ELISA (Serion)

The comparison of 45 positive and negative sera resulted in an agreement of 97.6%.