SEROEPIDEMIOLOGICAL SURVEYS FOR LEPROSY IN ECUADOR

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Serological examination of leprosy in endemic areas of cutaneous leishmaniasis were carried out using the sera collected during a survey for cutaneous leishmaniasis and several parasitic diseases in Ecuador. There was no correlation between prevalence rates for leprosy and seropositive rates of the antibodies (anti-PGL-I and LAM-B antibodies) in the subjects living in several provinces in Ecuador. Seropositive rates of anti-PGL-I antibodies of the leprosy patients and their families in Los Ranchos, Department of Manabi, were relatively high (84.6%, 11/13) in comparison with the average seropositive rates (42.4%, 154/365) of the subjects from other areas of Ecuador. It was suggested that serological survey of families of leprosy patients might be useful for screening of household contacts in a low endemic areas, such as Department of Manabi, Ecuador.