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Article

Detection of Leishmania donovani DNA from Oral Swab in Visceral Leishmaniasis

1
Department of Microbiology, Mymensingh Medical College, Mymensingh 2206, Bangladesh
2
Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Department of Animal Resource Sciences, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
3
Hemodialysis and Apheresis, Nephrology 107 Lab, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Pathogens 2025, 14(2), 144; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14020144
Submission received: 26 November 2024 / Revised: 27 January 2025 / Accepted: 28 January 2025 / Published: 4 February 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Future of Vector-Borne Diseases in a Changing World)

Abstract

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most severe form of leishmaniasis and is fatal if left untreated in over 95% of cases. Leishmaniasis is one of the neglected tropical diseases that tend to thrive in developing regions of the world where inadequate access to healthcare makes it difficult for some people to even receive a diagnosis. This study examined the usefulness of oral swabs as specimens for VL diagnosis, by detecting Leishmania donovani DNA in oral swabs from both VL patients and L. donovani-infected mice. Eighty oral swab (OS) and blood buffy coat (BC) samples were collected from suspected VL cases in Bangladesh. These samples were evaluated using Leishmania kinetoplast minicircle DNA (kDNA) in real-time PCR, and the results showed that 62.5% (50/80) and 67.5% (54/80) of the cases tested positive for the BC specimen and OS, respectively. The OS positivity was statistically comparable to the BC. L. donovani DNA was also detected in an oral swab of all infected BALB/c mice by conventional PCR targeting the large subunit ribosomal RNA gene (LSUrRNA), while it was negative in uninfected mice. This study highlights the potential of practical methods for the molecular diagnosis of VL using oral swabs as a non-invasive, simple, and accurate approach.
Keywords: Bangladesh; Leishmania donovani; oral swab; visceral leishmaniasis Bangladesh; Leishmania donovani; oral swab; visceral leishmaniasis

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MDPI and ACS Style

Sarkar, S.R.; Hobo, R.; Shoshi, Y.; Paul, S.K.; Goto, Y.; Noiri, E.; Matsumoto, Y.; Sanjoba, C. Detection of Leishmania donovani DNA from Oral Swab in Visceral Leishmaniasis. Pathogens 2025, 14, 144. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14020144

AMA Style

Sarkar SR, Hobo R, Shoshi Y, Paul SK, Goto Y, Noiri E, Matsumoto Y, Sanjoba C. Detection of Leishmania donovani DNA from Oral Swab in Visceral Leishmaniasis. Pathogens. 2025; 14(2):144. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14020144

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sarkar, Santana R., Rina Hobo, Yuki Shoshi, Shyamal K. Paul, Yasuyuki Goto, Eisei Noiri, Yoshitsugu Matsumoto, and Chizu Sanjoba. 2025. "Detection of Leishmania donovani DNA from Oral Swab in Visceral Leishmaniasis" Pathogens 14, no. 2: 144. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14020144

APA Style

Sarkar, S. R., Hobo, R., Shoshi, Y., Paul, S. K., Goto, Y., Noiri, E., Matsumoto, Y., & Sanjoba, C. (2025). Detection of Leishmania donovani DNA from Oral Swab in Visceral Leishmaniasis. Pathogens, 14(2), 144. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14020144

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