Real-time PCR as a new tool for quantifying Leishmania infantum in liver in infected mice

The parasitic Loads of mouse livers experimentally infected with Leishmania infantum were determined using a double real-time quantitative PCR test ta rgeted to the parasite DNA polymerase gene and to the mouse brain-derived n eutrophic factor gene. The Leishmania DNA copy number was normalized to the number of mouse gene copies in order to quantify the former independently of liver weight. The correlation coefficient with the microtitration method was 0.66. This PCR assay can be considered for experimental pharmaceutical studies.