Molecular and histological tools to diagnose an imported case of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in Cuba. (12th June 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Montalvo, Ana M.; De Armas, Yaxsier; Fraga, Jorge; Blanco, Orestes; Menéndez, Reinaldo; Montoto, Vicente; Capó de Paz, Virginia
• Is Part Of: International journal of dermatology. Volume 54:Number 10(2015:Oct.)
• Page Start: 1175
• Page End: 1179
• Publication Date: 2015-06-12
• Subjects: Dermatology -- Periodicals; 616.5
• DOI: 10.1111/ijd.12915
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0011-9059

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="ijd12915-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <sec id="ijd12915-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Background</title> <p>Leishmaniasis represents a polymorphous group of diseases caused by around 20 different species of <italic>Leishmania</italic> parasite. Increases in the number of cases of leishmaniasis reported as a consequence of the growth in travel and migration are of concern to epidemiologists and are diagnostically challenging in non‐endemic areas.</p> </sec> <sec id="ijd12915-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>Molecular and histological analyses of a paraffin‐embedded skin biopsy were used in parallel to detect <italic>Leishmania</italic> parasites in a Cuban woman with suspicious lesions arriving in Cuba from Venezuela. Primers based on the 18S fragment of ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) and heat shock protein 70 genes (<italic>hsp</italic>70) were used for molecular detection.</p> </sec> <sec id="ijd12915-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>Histological studies detected the presence of the parasite. A small fragment of <italic>Leishmania </italic>DNA was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 18S fragment using, for the first time, nucleic acid obtained from paraffin‐embedded tissue as a template. Amplification of a larger fragment from the <italic>hsp</italic>70 gene did not occur.</p> </sec> <sec id="ijd12915-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>The detection of <italic>Leishmania </italic>DNA from paraffin‐embedded tissue by means of 18S‐targeted PCR is a feasible approach to diagnosis. In combination with classical methods such as histology, the molecular detection of the parasite was demonstrated to be useful in confirming <italic>Leishmania</italic> infection in a traveler.</p> </sec> </abstract>