[20-year search on molecular markers of Leishmania isolates from different Kala-azar foci in China to confirm whether genetic fingerprints of Kala-azar pathogens correlate with disease types].

Leishmaniasis (Kala-azar) from different endemic regions of China expresses different clinic and epidemiological features, and traditionally is classified as hilly, plain and desert types/foci. We concentrated our review on whether the pathogens from those foci were different at molecular level, if so, whether there are were molecular markers readily identifiable by molecular technologies. This was a review of a 20-year search for such markers by using kinetoplastic DNA (kDNA), nDNA hybridization, PCR-SSCP, RAPD and sequence analysis of SSU rDNA variable regions and LACK gene. The results showed that heterogeneities at molecular level exist in Leishmania isolated from different foci of China, which could be used as markers for different types of Leishmaniasis in China.