Aminomethyl coumarin acetic acid and fluorescein isothiocyanate in detection of leishmanial antibodies: a comparative study

Fluorescein isothiocyanate incorporated in the immunofluorescent antibody test system used for serodiagnpsis of leishmanial and other infections suffers certain inherent disadvantages. Aminomethyl coumarin acetic acid, a new fluorescent label for protein, yields better results regarding non-specific background staining and stability, with slower photo-decomposition under ultra-violet light when used for detection of leishmanial antibodies. The new labelling agent emits a yellow/green colour with an excitation filter of 450–490 nm and a barrier filter of 520 nm.