4. Handle all specimens as potentially infectious.
5. Follow standard biosafety guidelines for handling and
disposal of potentially infective material.
Specimen Collection and Preparation
1. Blood samples collected with a suitable anticoagulant
such as EDTA or Heparin or Oxalate can also be used.
2. No prior preparation of the patient is required before
sample collection by approved techniques.
3. Fresh serum/plasma is preferable. Anticoagulated whole
blood can also be used as specimen. Serum/plasma may
be stored at 2 to 8°C up to 24 hours in case of delay in
testing. For long-term storage, freeze the specimen at
–20°C for 3 months or –70°C for longer periods. Whole
blood should be used immediately and should not be
4. Repeated freezing and thawing of the specimen should
6. Specimen containing precipitates or particulate matter
must be centrifuged and the clear supernatant only
7. For each sample, a new sample loop should be used.
Testing Procedure and Interpretation of Results
1. Bring the kit components to room temperature before
2. Open the pouch and retrieve the test device. Once
opened, the device must be used immediately.
3. Label the test device with the patient’s identity.
4. Add 10 µL of serum/plasma or whole blood with a
micropipette into the sample port “A”, OR using the
5 µL sample loop provided with the kit. Dip the loop
into the sample and then blot into the sample port
‘A’. Repeat this step twice for each sample. Ensure
that the loop does not retrieve clots or debris from
5. Add 5 drops of sample running buffer to the reagent
6. At the end of 15 minutes read the results as follows.
Only one colored band appears in the control window ‘C’.
In addition to the band in control window ‘C’, another
red/purple band appears in the test window ‘T’ indicating
the presence of specific IgM antibodies to Leptospira.
¾ The test should be considered invalid if neither the
control band ‘C’ nor the test band ‘T’ appears. Repeat
Leptocheck-WB was evaluated at the Royal Tropical
Institute, Amsterdam in parallel with other licensed tests
for the serodiagnosis of leptospirosis. The 47 sera evaluated
were from diverse serogroups of Leptospira.
Leptocheck-WB had a performance comparable to the
1. The intensity of the test line depends upon the stage of
the disease and the titres of the antibodies in the test
2. As specific antibodies reach detectable levels about
one week after the onset of disease, a sample collected
very early may yield a negative test result.
3. If the test is negative and if leptospirosis is still
suspected, the test should be repeated with the second
sample collected at a later date in conjunction with
4. In endemic areas, faint bands may appear occasionally
due to borderline IgM titres present as a result of
5. It is recommended that the positive results obtained
must be reconfirmed using a confirmatory test such
as the MAT (microscopic agglutination test).
6. High titres of RF and heterophile antibodies may
interfere with the test; in such cases, the results must
7. The results must be correlated with clinical findings
8. Do not use the test kit beyond expiration date.
1. The flow properties of the nitrocellulose membrane are partially
affected leading to the movement of partially aggregated gold-sol
Check the pouch for pinholes and also observe the desiccant for any
color change. The results of the test should be correlated with clinical
Problem: False positive results
1. Hemolyzed blood samples were used for testing Do not use hemolyzed blood samples for testing
2. Reading taken after 15 minutes Read results exactly at 15 minutes
flow and delayed reaction time
Problem: Faint Lines observed in control and test region
Problem: delayed results and altered flow
Problem: false negative results
insert should be dispensed for performing the test using the dropper
2. The kit is exposed to very high temperatures leading to
deterioration of the antibodies coated on the device