Rapid identification of Leishmania species by specific hybridization of kinetoplast DNA in cutaneous lesions.

Kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) was isolated from various species of the protozoic parasite Leishmania and analyzed by nucleic acid hybridization to detect species-related heterogeneity of kDNA. Purified DNA isolated from L. mexicana and L. braziliensis displayed no homology in nucleic acid hybridization studies. These results confirmed that rapid kDNA sequence change and evolution is occurring in New World species of Leishmania and suggested that such isolated kDNA could be used as a specific hybridization probe for the rapid identification of Leishmania species by using whole organisms. This work further demonstrates that such species-specific identification is feasible on isolated Leishmania promastigotes and, more important, directly on tissue touch blots derived from the cutaneous lesion. Thus, specific hybridization of isolated kDNA provides the basis for a rapid, accurate method for the diagnosis of human leishmaniasis directly from infected tissue.