title: Identification of Leishmania species causing cutaneous leishmaniasis using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD-PCR) in Kharve, Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Leishmaniasis, especially cutaneous leishmaniasis, is considered an important health problem in many parts of Iran including Kharve, Khorasan Razavi province. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is caused by various species of Leishmania, each having a different secondary host. Thus, identifying the parasites' specie is of paramount importance for containment strategy planning. The morphological differentiation of Leishmania species is not possible, rendering the molecular methods as the sole means to this purpose. Therefore, to identify the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Kharve, Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA-PCR (RAPD-PCR) was used.
  
  
  METHODS
  The disease was first confirmed by direct smears. Samples were gathered from 22 patients with established cutaneous leishmaniasis. The samples were immediately cultured in NNN medium, followed by sub-culture in RPMI-1640. Afterwards, DNA was extracted and amplified using RAPD-PCR. Electrophoresis patterns from each isolate were compared with reference strains of Leishmania major (L. major) and Leishmania tropica (L. tropica).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of this study indicated that the parasite causing cutaneous leishmaniasis in Kharve is L. tropica.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It seems that L. tropica is the only causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Kharve, and RAPD-PCR is a suitable tool for Leishmania characterization in epidemiological studies.
authors.affiliation: Parasitology & Medical Mycology Department, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Saadabadi
authors.affiliation: Parasitology & Medical Mycology Department, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mohajery
authors.affiliation: Parasitology & Medical Mycology Department, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Elham
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Poostchi
authors.affiliation: Parasitology & Medical Mycology Department, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyyed Ali Akbar
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Shamsian
keywords: Kharve; Khorasan; Leishmania major; Leishmania tropica; RAPD-PCR