中英对照：诊断测试可分辨不同类型黑热病

　　Iranian scientists have shown that a rapid and non-invasive diagnostic test for visceral leishmaniasis, or kala-azar, can distinguish between active, subclinical and latent cases of the disease.

　　黑热病是最严重的利什曼病，它的诊断非常复杂，因为它的发热等症状类似于疟疾和结核病等疾病。最常见的诊断程序是对骨髓样本进行显微镜检查，这是一种侵入性的检验，科学家们通过耗时培养从而分离出寄生虫。目前已经开发出了其他的分子检验手段，但是它们很贵而且不常用。

　　Diagnosis of kala-azar ― the most severe form of leishmaniasis ― is complex because its symptoms, such as fever, are similar to those seen in other diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis.

　　The most common diagnostic procedure is microscopic examination of bone marrow samples ― an invasive test ― and time-consuming isolation of the parasite by culture. Other molecular tests have recently been developed, but they are expensive and not commonly used.

　　伊朗大不里士医科大学（Tabriz University of Medical Sciences）的AbdolSamad Mazloumi Gavgani领导了这项研究，他和他的同事研究了来自伊朗西北部东阿塞拜疆省的313名儿童的尿样。这个地区流行利什曼病。

　　Lead researcher AbdolSamad Mazloumi Gavgani and co-workers from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran, examined urine samples from 313 children in districts of the East Azerbaijan province in Northwest Iran, where leishmaniasis is endemic.

　　利用一种称作KAtex的检验方法――它可以检测到尿液中的利什曼原虫的蛋白质――这组科学家发现了10个阳性病例。对这些儿童进行的临床随访表明其中三人出现了利什曼病，而且显示出了较高的寄生虫载量。

　　Using a test called KAtex, which detects proteins from Leishmania infantum in the urine, the researchers found ten positive cases. Clinical follow up of these children revealed that three of them went on to develop the disease and showed high parasite load.

　　该研究组还发现这种检测方法在对患有结核病、弓形体病或者布鲁氏菌病的个体进行检测的时候不会出现假阳性。

　　The team also found that the test did not produce false positive results when tested on individuals suffering from tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis or brucellosis were examined.

　　这组科学家说，KAtex比基于抗体的检测方法更具专一性，后者在利什曼病被治愈之后很久还是会给出阳性结果。

　　The KAtex is more specific than antibody-based tests that continue to give a positive result long after the disease has been cured, say the researchers.

　　Gavgani告诉本网站说：“这一检测方法可作为在利什曼病流行的偏远地区的艰苦现场条件下进行大规模黑热病诊断的一个理想工具，因为这不需要任何专门技能或者电子设备。”

　　"The test could be considered an ideal tool for wide-scale diagnosis of kala-azar diseases in the difficult field conditions of remote endemic areas, as there is no need for any specific expertise or electrical appliances," Gavgani told SciDev.Net

　　埃及坦塔大学的医学教授Morad Ahmed Morad对这项新进展表示了欢迎，他说：“它将成为应对在伊朗和地中海区域传播的内脏利什曼病的一个至关重要的工具。”

　　Morad Ahmed Morad, a professor of medicine at Tanta University, Egypt, welcomed the new development saying, "It will be a vital tool for fighting endemic visceral leishmaniasis which is spreading in Iran and the Mediterranean region."

　　该研究发表在了《非洲生物技术杂志》上。

　　The study was published in the African Journal of Biotechnology.

　　本文由科学与发展网络(SciDev.Net)独家提供。