Monitoring of Leishmania transmission in the post-elimination phase: the potential of serological surveys.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Monitoring of Leishmania transmission is considered a strategic priority for sustaining elimination of visceral leishmaniasis as a public health problem in the Indian subcontinent. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether serological surveys can distinguish between communities with and without Leishmania transmission, and to assess which serological marker performs best. METHODS: Seven villages were selected from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh state, India, and categorized as either currently endemic, previously endemic or non-endemic. Blood samples were analyzed with the rK39 RDT, DAT, and rK39 ELISA. RESULTS: Contrary to the rK39 RDT and DAT, the rK39 ELISA showed a significant difference between all three categories of endemicity, with a seroprevalence of 5.21% in currently endemic villages, 1.55% in previously endemic villages, and 0.13% in non-endemic villages. Even when only looking at the seroprevalence among children aged <10 years, the rK39 ELISA was still able to differentiate between villages with and without ongoing transmission. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest the rK39 ELISA to be the most promising marker for monitoring of Leishmania transmission. Further validation is required, and practical, context-adapted recommendations need to be formulated in order to guide policy makers towards meaningful and sustainable surveillance strategies in the post-elimination phase.