Diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis by a polymerase chain reaction technique

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for the diagnosis of canine lei shmaniasis on bone marrow samples was developed which amplified a 120 bp DN A fragment of the Leishmania kinetoplast DNA, common to all Leishmania spec ies. Forty-five of 46 dogs in which leishmaniasis had been diagnosed were p ositive with the PCR technique, whereas none of 41 healthy dogs gave a posi tive result Fifteen dogs with leishmaniasis that had been treated for six m onths with N-methylglucamine antimoniate and allopurinol were also investig ated. Seven were positive, implying that they remained infected despite the resolution of their clinical signs.