PCR diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in an endemic region, Mymensingh district, Bangladesh.

Detection of Leishmania parasites in a clinical sample is necessary to confirm a suspected case of leishmaniasis. We compared the sensitivity of internal transcribed spacer 1-PCR (ITS 1-PCR) assay for parasite diagnosis with that of microscopic detection in clinical samples from kala-azar (KA) or post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) suspects in Mymensingh. Of 39 specimens collected from 35 KA and four PKDL suspects, 26 were positive by microscopic examination of smears from bone marrow and skin exudates; 38 specimens spotted on filter paper and 27 of the 28 Giemsa-stained slides tested by PCR proved positive by ITS1-PCR.