Sensitive Molecular Diagnostics for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

<span class="paragraphSection"><div class="boxTitle">Abstract</div><div class="boxTitle">Background.</div>Rapid diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and identification of <span style="font-style:italic;">Leishmania</span> species is highly important for the disease management. In Israel, CL is caused mainly by <span style="font-style:italic;">Leishmania major</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Leishmania tropica</span> species.<div class="boxTitle">Methods.</div>We established an easy to handle point of care lesion-swabbing, combined with a highly sensitive multiplex real time PCR (multiplex qPCR) for accurate and rapid diagnosis of <span style="font-style:italic;">Leishmania</span> species.<div class="boxTitle">Results.</div>Using three probes: one general for: Leishmania species, and two specific for <span style="font-style:italic;">L major</span>, and <span style="font-style:italic;">L tropica</span>, we screened 1783 clinical samples collected during two years. <span style="font-style:italic;">Leishmania</span> species was found in 1086 individuals, 1008 <span style="font-style:italic;">L major</span>, and 70 <span style="font-style:italic;">L tropica</span>. Eight samples positive for <span style="font-style:italic;">Leishmania</span> species only, were further tested using a second set of multiplex qPCR developed, and were found positive for <span style="font-style:italic;">Leishmania braziliensis</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Leishmania infantum/donovani</span> (2 and 6 samples, concomitantly).<div class="boxTitle">Conclusions.</div>Taken together, the test enabled diagnostics and better treatment of <span style="font-style:italic;">Leishmania</span> infections from the Old World (1078 samples) and the New World (8 samples), and the subtyping of the dominant strains in the region, as well as in returning travelers’.</span>

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