EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL USE OF IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY WITH ANTI-CD1a ANTIBODY AS A DIAGNOSTIC TOOL FOR AMERICAN TEGUMENTARY LEISHMANIASIS IN NATURALLY INFECTED PATIENTS TREATED AT A REFERENCE SERVICE IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF BARBALHA - CEARÁ
Leishmania braziliensis, Immunohistochemistry, CD1a marker
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by the protozoan Leishmania spp., which causes cutaneous and visceral lesions in animals and humans, raising great epidemiological concern. Leishmania braziliensis is the main etiological agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis (TL) in Brazil. Thus, there is a need for complementary diagnostic methods to assist in disease surveillance. The main objective is to implement an auxiliary methodology for the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis at the Infectious Diseases Outpatient Clinic of the School of Medicine of the Federal University of Cariri. This is an experimental clinical trial, using spontaneous demand from patients who seek the Infectious Diseases Outpatient Clinic of the School of Medicine of the Federal University of Cariri for diagnosis and treatment of American cutaneous leishmaniasis. A total of 132 skin biopsy samples from patients with lesions suggestive of ACL were analyzed. These samples were subjected to immunohistochemistry for CD1a and compared with conventional PCR. The immunohistochemistry reaction for CD1a allowed the identification of Leishmania spp. in tissue samples. All the results obtained in this work highlight the importance of the immunohistochemical method in the diagnosis of leishmaniasis and reinforce the need for research and development of new markers.