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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 05 1995, 1145-1149, Vol 33, No. 5
A Mathis and P Deplazes
A PCR assay for the diagnosis of leishmaniosis was developed by using
primers that were selected from the sequence of the small-subunit rRNA
gene. The assay was optimized for routine diagnostic use. Processing of the
clinical samples is rapid and simple (lysis of erythrocytes in Tris- EDTA
buffer, digestion with proteinase K directly in PCR buffer, and no further
purification steps). Furthermore, an internal control is included in every
specimen in order to detect the presence of PCR inhibitors. The PCR was
compared with diagnostic in vitro cultivation of promastigote stages for
the detection of Leishmania spp. in clinical specimens from humans and dogs
with a tentative diagnosis of leishmaniosis. PCR and cultivation gave
identical results with all but 1 of the 95 specimens from humans. The PCR
result in this case was false negative, possibly because of unequal
apportionment of this sample. With 10 skin biopsies from six patients with
cutaneous leishmaniosis, the sensitivity was 60%. For six human
immunodeficiency virus-positive patients with visceral leishmaniosis, all
bone marrow biopsies and 7 of 11 whole blood samples (after isolation of
leukocytes by Ficoll-Paque) were positive in both tests. PCR detected one
more case with the use of 500 microliters of whole blood with direct lysis
of the erythrocytes in Tris-EDTA buffer. With dog lymph node aspirates, the
sensitivity was 100% (16 of 16 samples) for both methods; furthermore, PCR
was positive for 5 of 13 whole blood samples from dogs with leishmaniosis.
The specificity of the PCR was 100% (70 specimens from patients without
leishmaniosis).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Copyright © 1995 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
PCR and in vitro cultivation for detection of Leishmania spp. in diagnostic samples from humans and dogs
Institute of Parasitology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
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