title: An improved microculture method for diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis.
abstract: This study evaluated the performance of three diagnostic methods for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Patients who came to the Health Center Laboratory of Gonbad-e-Qabus in Golestan Province, Iran, were enrolled in the study. Skin scraping smear, improved microculture (IMC) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed. A total of 303 subjects were recruited, among whom 273 subjects fulfilled the criteria for CL. Sensitivity and specificity were 88.8 % (95 % CI = 84.2-92.2 %) and 100.0 % for smears, 98.4 % (95 % CI = 96.1-99.1 %) and 100.0 % for IMC, both of them 100.0 % for PCR. Although, PCR was relatively more sensitive than the IMC, the high correlation (agreement = 96 %, Kappa = 0.82) between IMC and PCR along with the advantages of simplicity, rapidity, adequate sensitivity and as a needle free method, offers the IMC as a valuable alternative diagnostic method for PCR in diagnosis of CL.
authors.affiliation: Toxoplasmosis Research Center, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Abdolsattar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pagheh
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Molecular and Cell Biology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 48175-1665, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fakhar
authors.affiliation: Gonbad Health Centre, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gonbad, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mesgarian
authors.affiliation: Toxoplasmosis Research Center, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Shirzad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gholami
authors.affiliation: Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Ehsan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ahmadpour
keywords: Cutaneous leishmaniasis; Diagnosis; Microculture; PCR; Skin scraping smear