Western blot for diagnosis of a neglected and reemerging illness in endemic and extreme poverty Peruvian areas

In the inter-Andean valleys of Peru, there is a neglected illness called Carrion's disease, affecting populations that live in conditions with deficient sanitation. Carrion's disease is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites. The illness has two clinical forms: an acute (hematic) phase, known as ’Oroya fever’, reporting a mortality of up to 88% in untreated individuals, and a later, eruptive phase, in which the patient develops nodular dermal eruptions known as ‘Verruga Peruana’.

The current methods for the diagnosis of Carrion's disease are very limited, due to the low sensitivity of staining techniques, the long period of culture and the high cost of molecular testing. This diagnostic test for the disease will be inexpensive, easy to apply and could be used in the first level of health care, aiming to a prompt care of the patients in endemic areas.

Rapid, sensitive, and specific serological test for detecting Carrion’s disease.