Comparison of Three Methods for Diagnosis of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis
Background: Leishmaniasis is one of the infectious parasitic diseases of highest incidence in the world. Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) has long been reported in Shiraz, Southern Iran. There is a need to find a sensitive and specific method for treatment and control of the disease. Methods: We have c...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Tehran University of Medical Sciences
2010-12-01
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| Series: | Iranian Journal of Parasitology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ijpa.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijpa/article/view/150 |
| Summary: | Background: Leishmaniasis is one of the infectious parasitic diseases of highest incidence in the world. Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) has long been reported in Shiraz, Southern Iran. There is a need to find a sensitive and specific method for treatment and control of the disease.
Methods: We have compared the sensitivity of the conventional methods microscopy and cultivation of lesion scrapes against PCR amplification of parasite kinetoplast DNA from these samples. The samples (n=219) were obtained from the patients clinically suspected of CL. The smears were stained with Giemsa for microscopy and cultured in Novy-Nicolle-McNeal (NNN) blood agar for promastigote growth. For PCR, the dry smears were scraped off the slides and DNA was extracted.
Results: The positive rates from 219 specimens were 76.71%, 50.68%, and 93.61% for microscopy, cultivation, and PCR, respectively. The highest correlation was found between PCR and microscopy method (P= 0.014). In PCR assay, 95.61%, 3.9%, and 0.49% of the samples were identified as Leishmania major, L. tropica, and dermatropic L. infantum, respectively.
Conclusion: The PCR method appears to be the most sensitive for the diagnosis of CL and is valuable for identifying the other species of Leishmania with confusing dermatropic signs. |
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| ISSN: | 1735-7020 2008-238X |