USE OF MOLECULAR PROBES AND PCR FOR DETECTION AND TYPING OF LEISHMANIA - A MINIREVIEW

The use of molecular tools to detect and type Leishmania species in hu mans, reservoirs or sandflies has been pursued using different approac hes. The polymerase chain reaction provided sensitivity to case this t ask, since the use of hybridization procedures alone employing specifi c probes is hampered due to the low detection limit. In this report, w e describe the different molecular targets used in our laboratory, aim ing at the detection and specific typing of these protozoa. Different kits based on hybridization assays and PCR amplification using kinetop lost and nuclear targets are described and the results obtained from t heir use are reported.