Rk39 dip stick kit was found to be positive, the treatment of choice is:

Ans. (a) Amphotericin B Ref Paniker 7/e, p 58 RK 39, is a rapid dip stick method for detecting antileishmanial antibodies has been developed using a recombinant leishmanial antigen rk 39 consisting of 39 amino acids conserved in kinesin region of L. infantum. The sensitivity of test is 98% and specificity is 90%. Thus, a positive rk39 test indicates Lishmenial infection Treatment of Leishmaniasis Kala-azar responds better to treatment than visceral leishmaniasis Pentavalent antimonial compound is the drug of choice in most of the endemic region except Bihar, where there is resistance to pentavalent compound Amphotericin B is the first line drug to be used in Bihar Liposomal Amphotericin B: It is the only drug approved by FDA for treatment if visceral leishmaniasis Note: Other impoant Rapid dipstick test: RDT dipsticks for HRP-2 and pLDH: Plasmodium Optimal rapid dipstick test: Plasmodium falciparum > Plasmodium vivax RDT for Fl antigen: Yersinia pestis RDT for 01 and 0139: Rapid detection of Vibrio cholerae serotypes Strep A Rapid Test Dipstick (GIMA): Streptococcus pyogenes is throat swab