Comparison of conventional methods for diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in children of the Center-West Region of Brazil

Abstract

In Brazil, sophisticated techniques currently employed for diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis, such as polymerase chain reaction-based assays, are only available in major research centers, whereas conventional methods are still used in many areas where the disease occurs. In the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, in the country's Center-West Region, visceral leishmaniasis has recently emerged in many cities, and duration of the disease, from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis, has been short. Considering that results of diagnostic tests may depend on the phase of the disease, we compared direct examination of bone marrow aspirates (

Sensitivity of PCR and real-time PCR for the diagnosis of human visceral leishmaniasis using peripheral blood

“…Noted that bone marrow aspirate culture is not the most suitable technique for VL diagnosis, considering the time constraints it places on treatment initiation [29] . PCR for the detection of parasite DNA in peripheral blood is a non-invasive alternative for diagnosis, especially when the disease is suspected in patients with negative parasitological results [26,30] .…”

Comparison of the sensitivity of imprint and scraping techniques in the diagnosis of American tegumentary leishmaniasis in a referral centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…But this variation may be related to several factors such as time of lesion evolution, Leishmania species responsible for the case, parasite load, site of the lesion where the parasite is investigated, experience of the responsible technician, and number of microscopic fields and/or slides examined (Brustoloni et al 2007). However, this information is not always made available in the reports, making it more difficult to compare the results among different authors.…”

“…All the methods mentioned employ glass slide preparations, fixed and stained with Romanowsky-derived mixtures. The sensitivity of these methods varies greatly and depends on several factors, among which are the parasite load, lesion evolution time, site where parasite is investigated, quality of the material collected and the experience of the responsible technician (Brustoloni et al 2007;Al-Jitawi et al 1995).…”

Evaluation of Visceral Leishmaniasis Diagnosis Using Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Tests in 4 Pediatric Patients

“…Literatürde asemptomatik olup IFAT(+) saptanan olgular vardır (10). Ayrıca klinik bulgular ile birlikte IFAT pozitifliğinin VL tanısı için çok anlamlı olduğu bildirilmiştir (13). Ülkemizden yapılan bir çalışmada kemik iliği aspirasyonunda amastigotların görülme oranı %69.2 olarak saptanmış fakat IFAT ile tüm hastaların VL (+) olduğu gösterilmiştir (9).…”