Abstract
This paper reports attempts to develop a sensitive and inexpensive procedure for rapid diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis at the species level using skin scrapings from patients. The presence of 3 species (Leishmania major, L. tropica and L. infantum) in Israel and the West Bank demonstrates the need for a species-specific detection method in this region. The primer pair Uni21/Lmj4 was developed on the basis of an L. major minicircle sequence but it also amplified other 'Old World' species of Leishmania. Due to species-specific differences in the size of minicircles, these primers can be used in the polymerase chain reaction to answer diagnostic and epidemiological questions.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | S1/87-S1/92 |
Journal | Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene |
Volume | 96 |
Issue number | SUPPL. 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2002 |
Keywords
- Diagnosis
- Israel
- Leishmania infantum
- Leishmania major
- Leishmania tropica
- Leishmaniasis
- Middle East
- Polymerase chain reaction