Use of multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT) for the genetic analysis of Indian isolates of Leishmania donovani.

摘要

In India, the transmission of the Leishmania donovani that causes human visceral leish-maniasis (VL) or kala-azar is thought to be entirely anthroponotic, with cases of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) believed to be the sole source of the parasites carried to humans by sandflies (Thakur and Kumar, 1992). The incidence of VL and the number of current cases of the disease world-wide are estimated at 0.5 million cases/year and 2.5 million, respectively, with 90% of all cases occurring in just five countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Nepal, India and Sudan (Bora, 1999). In India, the disease is endemic in the eastern parts of the country, primarily in the state of Bihar, where >90% of all Indian cases occur. The parasites in the genus Leishmania have been classified into different species primarily on the basis of clinical, biological, geographical and epidemiological criteria. Currently, the most comprehensive method for identification of the species and strains is by multilocus iso-enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE). This technique, which allows various zymodemes to be distinguished, is, however, too slow, laborious and expensive for high-throughput analyses. Moreover, it is not easy to compare data-sets from the different laboratories in which MLEE-based analyses are performed.