Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) offers a sensitive and specific method for the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis, while granulomatus inflammation is a reliable histopathological marker.
Researchers from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran, extracted DNA from skin samples embedded in paraffin blocks taken from patients suffering from cutaneous leishmaniasis as well as biopsies from negative controls.
Leishmania fixed in formalin acted as positive controls. PCR confirmed the presence of leishmania in all 33 samples that showed the parasite on microscopy. However, PCR also detected Leishmania in 24 of the 29 samples from people diagnosed clinically with cutaneous leishmaniasis, but in whom microscopy was negative.
PCR did not detect Leishmania in any negative control. The authors estimated that PCR’s sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis were 92 and 100 per cent respectively.
השאירו תגובה
רוצה להצטרף לדיון?תרגישו חופשי לתרום!