TY - JOUR AU - Luis Vásquez Huerta AU - Nancy Ruelas Llerena AU - Eleazar Córdova Benzaquen PY - 2011/03/31 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Indirect immunofluorescence staining patterns and their use for diagnosing cutaneous leishmaniasis and Chagas’ disease JF - ACTA MEDICA PERUANA JA - Acta Med Peru VL - 28 IS - 1 SE - ORIGINAL ARTICLES DO - UR - https://amp.cmp.org.pe/index.php/AMP/article/view/1079 AB - Objective: To determine the value of indirect immunofluorescence (IFI) in the diagnosis of leishmaniasis and Chagas disease.Material and method: Indirect immunofluorescence (IFI) was employed for diagnosing leishmaniasis and Chagas disease using Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigota as substrate antigens. A nuclear fluorescence pattern was found in sera from patients with leishmaniasis, and a peripheral pattern was found in those with Chagas disease. Afterwards, we estimated the diagnostic value of IFI for both diseases in a blinded fashion.Results: For diagnosing leishmaniasis, IFI sensitivity was 84.2%, specificity, 100%, positive predictive value, 100%, negative predictive value 82.9%, and accuracy was 91.0%.Conclusions: The immunofluorescence technique using Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigota, considering the proposed color patterns, is useful for diagnosing cutaneous leishmaniasis and T. cruzi infection by avoiding confusion because of immune cross-reactivity between these conditions. ER -