Validation of a Real-Time PCR for the Diagnosis of <i>Leishmania</i> Species Using the <i>Hsp20</i> Gene.

ABSTRACT: Leishmaniasis is a complex neglected tropical disease that impacts public health, particularly in resource-limited populations where access to accurate and timely diagnosis is often limited. Current diagnostic methods, primarily relying on microscopy, suffer from low sensitivity and specificity, hindering effective case management and disease control. The objective of this study was to validate a novel real-time PCR assay targeting the conserved Hsp20 gene for the detection of Leishmania spp. We evaluated the performance of the method using two distinct detection systems, such as SYBR Green and TaqMan probes, against a diverse panel of 225 clinical samples confirmed to have the disease. The real-time PCR targeting Hsp20 using SYBR Green demonstrated a sensitivity of 88

SUBMITTER: Maldonado-Aroni M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12115578 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature