Comparison of polymerase chain reaction with other laboratory methods for the diagnosis of American cutaneous leishmaniasis: Diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis by polymerase chain reaction

Marques, Marcos J.; Volpini, Ângela C.; Machado-Coelho, George L.L.; Machado-Pinto, Jackson; da Costa, Carlos A.; Mayrink, Wilson; Genaro, Odair; Romanha, Alvaro J.

doi:10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2005.08.003

« Previous Next »Diagnostic Microbiology & Infectious Disease
Volume 54, Issue 1 , Pages 37-43, January 2006

Comparison of polymerase chain reaction with other laboratory methods for the diagnosis of American cutaneous leishmaniasis:

Diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis by polymerase chain reaction

Marcos J. Marques
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
Ângela C. Volpini
- Laboratório de Pesquisas em Leishmanioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brazil
George L.L. Machado-Coelho
- Escola de Farmácia da Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto 35400-000, MG, Brazil
Jackson Machado-Pinto
- Clínica Dermatológica da Santa Casa de Misericórdia, Belo Horizonte 30150-221, MG, Brazil
Carlos A. da Costa
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
Wilson Mayrink
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
Odair Genaro
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
- In memoriam.
Alvaro J. Romanha
- Laboratório de Parasitologia Celular e Molecular, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou-FIOCRUZ, CEP 30190-002, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +55-31-3295-3566x180; fax: +55-31-3295-3115.

Received 20 April 2005; accepted 8 August 2005.

Abstract

An evaluation of 5 laboratory methods for diagnosing American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) was carried out on patients from an endemic area of Brazil. From 164 patients presenting cutaneous lesions, and suspected to have ACL, 133 (81.1%) were confirmed for the disease by Montenegro skin test (MST) and/or parasitologic examination (PE). In both groups of patients, the positivity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was similar to that of immunofluorescence assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and higher than that of MST and PE (P < .05). In the group of patients suspected to have ACL, PCR presented the same positivity as PE and MST together. No correlation between positivity of the laboratory methods and clinical or epidemiologic aspects was observed. Our data confirmed the value of PCR as an alternative laboratory method for diagnosing ACL, especially for those patients with negative PE and MST.

Keywords: American cutaneous leishmaniasis, Polymerase chain reaction, Diagnosis