REFERENCE VALUES FOR LEISHMANIA INFANTUM PARASITEMIA IN DIFFERENT CLINICAL PRESENTATIONS: QUANTITATIVE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION FOR THERAPEUTIC MONITORING AND PATIENT FOLLOW-UP

Quantification of Leishmania infantum DNA in blood samples by an ultrasensitive quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) detected parasitemias in different clinical presentations. We observed a large range of parasitemias, more than 9 log values, and could determine the threshold between asympt...

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Published inThe American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene Vol. 75; no. 5; pp. 858 - 863
Main Authors MARY, CHARLES, FARAUT, FRANCOISE, DROGOUL, MARIE-PIERRE, XERIDAT, BERNARD, SCHLEINITZ, NICOLAS, CUISENIER, BERNADETTE, DUMON, HENRI
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States ASTMH 01.11.2006
Subjects
Amphotericin B - therapeutic use
Animals
DNA, Protozoan - analysis
DNA, Protozoan - blood
Follow-Up Studies
Leishmania infantum
Leishmania infantum - genetics
Leishmania infantum - isolation & purification
Leishmaniasis, Visceral - diagnosis
Leishmaniasis, Visceral - drug therapy
Leishmaniasis, Visceral - parasitology
Parasitemia - blood
Parasitemia - diagnosis
Parasitemia - epidemiology
Parasitemia - parasitology
Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods
Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary
Recurrence
Reference Values
Sensitivity and Specificity
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Summary:Quantification of Leishmania infantum DNA in blood samples by an ultrasensitive quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) detected parasitemias in different clinical presentations. We observed a large range of parasitemias, more than 9 log values, and could determine the threshold between asymptomatic carriage and disease in the Mediterranean area (approximately one parasite/mL of blood. Based on kinetoplast DNA amplification, this assay had a sensitivity of 0.001 parasite DNA equivalents/mL and detected asymptomatic carriage of Leishmania . It detected parasite DNA in 58% of healthy subjects, while an immunoblot detected specific antibodies in only 16%. For initial diagnosis of disease, this quantitative PCR with blood samples constitutes a non-invasive alternative to bone marrow aspiration. Its main applications are monitoring of drug therapy and follow-up of immunodeficient patients for biologic confirmation of relapses.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:0002-9637
1476-1645
DOI:10.4269/ajtmh.2006.75.858