Comparison of Three In-House Real PCR Assays Targeting Kinetoplast DNA, the Small Subunit Ribosomal RNA Gene and the Glucose-6-Phosphate Isomerase Gene for the Detection of Leishmania spp. in Human Serum

To perform PCR from serum for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis is convenient and much less invasive than examination deeper compartments such as bone marrow. We compared three Leishmania-specific real-time PCRs with different molecular targets (kinetoplast DNA, small subunit-ribosomal RNA-(ssrRNA-)gene, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase-(gpi-)gene) regarding their sensitivity specificity in human serum. Residual sera previous diagnostic assessments at German National Reference Center Tropical Pathogens Bernhard Nocht Institute Medicine Hamburg Swiss Public Health were used. The sensitivities kinetoplast DNA-PCR, ssrRNA-gene PCR, gpi-PCR 93.3%, 73.3%, 33.3%, respectively, 15 initial samples patients, well 9.1%, 0.0%, 11 follow-up taken various time points following anti-leishmanial therapy. Specificity was 100.0% all assays recorded 1.137 deployed soldiers migrants without clinical suspicion leishmaniasis. Kinetoplast-DNA confirmed a sensitive specific approach results also indicate suitability after therapy, particular therapeutic failure case persisting positive results.