Identification of a patient with multibacillary leprosy using the serological test (LID) in active search actions: a case report

• Autor(a) principal: Leite, Heloine Martins
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Pinheiro, Marcos Daniel Silva, Santos, Daisy Cristina Monteiro dos, Campos, Karolina Dias, Oliveira, Lorena Bruna Pereira de, Fraga, Lucia Alves de Oliveira
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Hansenologia Internationalis (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.saude.sp.gov.br/hansenologia/article/view/39317
• topic: Hanseníase; Diagnóstico; Sorologia; Leprosy; Diagnosis; Serology; Lepra; Diagnóstico; Serología

Leprosy is a chronic and infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae). It has high infectivity and low pathogenicity. The aim of this study was to report the identification of a patient with multibacillary leprosy using the serological test (LID) during an active search. A 54-year-old male patient, living in Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil, from the active search of the LeprosyResearch Center (NuPqHans/UFJF-GV), presented a positive serological test for recombinant bacillus proteins (ML0405/ML2331). He was referred to the Reference Center for Endemic Diseases and Special Programs (CREDENPES), complaining of skin lesions and nodules all over his body, and reported a history of head trauma, occasional dizziness, numbness in his feet, and nosebleeds. The patient presented positive bacilloscopy and biopsy results, concluding the diagnosis of multibacillary leprosy and receiving the indicated multidrug therapy. After three months of treatment, there was a reduction in the area/diameter of the lesions on the abdomen, indicating the effectiveness of the treatment. The positive result of the serological test (LID) allowed the identification of a multibacillary patient, who until then had not been diagnosed with leprosy. In addition, the use of the LID serological test in active search activities in endemic areas for early diagnosis can contribute to the zero-leprosy concept stipulated by the World Health Organization.