IDENTIFICATION OF Leishmania PARASITES IN CLINICAL SAMPLES OBTAINED FROM CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS PATIENTS USING PCR TECHNIQUE IN IRAQ

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is an endemic disease and one of the major health problems in Iraq. Leishmania major is confirmed as the causative agent of CL in this region. In Al- Qadessia province alone, the recorded total cases of CL were 618 from 2005-2007. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for identification and differentiation of the Leishmania parasite in clinical samples. The lesion exudates were collected from 27 suspected patients (12 males and 15 females) and used for smear slide preparations, culture on NNN medium then DNA isolation. The isolated DNA was amplified by PCR, including primers selected on repetitive kDNA for identification of a Leishmania subgenus, and the amplified DNA electrophoreses was done. The PCR results showed that only L. major exists. Our results indicate that the PCR technique is sensitive and specific for the detection and differentiation of agents of CL in this area.