by Eberhardt E, Hendrickx R, Van den Kerkhof M, Monnerat S, Alves F, Hendrickx S, Maesa L, Caljona G. Journal of Microbiological Methods 2020, 173:105935. doi: 10.1016/j.mimet.2020.105935
Summary: Molecular detection techniques using peripheral blood are preferred over invasive tissue aspiration for the diagnosis and post-treatment follow-up of visceral leishmaniasis patients. The authors compared the stabilizing capacities of six different commercially available reagents to prevent DNA and RNA degradation during storage and transport to specialized laboratories where molecular diagnosis is performed. The recommended stabilizing reagents are compatible with RNA- and DNA-based Leishmania detection in peripheral blood in a visceral leishmaniasis hamster model and spiked human blood. The findings of this study may be applied to human visceral leishmaniasis clinical studies, facilitating the use of less invasive molecular detection techniques.
