Detection and identification of Leishmania species from clinical specimens by using a real-time PCR assay and sequencing of the cytochrome B gene.

ABSTRACT: Visceral and cutaneous leishmaniases are heterogenous entities. The Leishmania species that a given patient harbors usually cannot be determined clinically, and this identification is essential to prescribe the best species-specific therapeutic regimen. Our diagnosis procedure includes a real-time PCR assay targeted at the 18S rRNA gene, which detects all Leishmania species but which is not specific for a given Leishmania species. We developed a species identification based on sequencing of the cytochrome b (cyt b) gene directly from the DNA extracted from the clinical specimen. The sequences were analyzed using the Sequence Analysis/Seqscape v2.1 software (Applied Biosystems). This software is designed to automatically identify the closest sequences from a reference library after analysis

SUBMITTER: Foulet F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1932983 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature