ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2019
Quantitative polymerase chain reaction in paucibacillary leprosy diagnosis: A follow-up study.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 46 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence of paucibacillary cases of leprosy in Brazil: a 20-year systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Accuracy of Ultrasound-Guided Ulnar Perineural Subcutaneous Aspirate for the Diagnosis and Control of Leprosy: Protocol for a Prospective Diagnostic Evaluation Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- A rare case of lepromatous leprosy in Germany.Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft = Journal of the German Society of Dermatology : JDDG · 2025Article
- Validation of the performance of a point of care molecular test for leprosy: From a simplified DNA extraction protocol to a portable qPCR.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
- qPCR detection ofFrontiers in molecular biosciences · 2024Article
- Artificial Intelligence on Diagnostic Aid of Leprosy: A Systematic Literature Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
- Leprosy in an Adopted Woman Diagnosed by Molecular Tools: A Case Report from a Non-Endemic Area.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Epidemiology and grade 2 disability of leprosy among migrant and resident patients in Guangdong: an unignorable continued transmission of leprosy.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- ELISA Test Based on the Phenolic Glycolipid-I (PGL-I) ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Reimagining leprosy elimination with AI analysis of a combination of skin lesion images with demographic and clinical data.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2022Article
- Development and validation of a multiplex real-time qPCR assay using GMP-grade reagents for leprosy diagnosis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2022Article
- Bacilloscopy and polymerase chain reaction of slit-skin smears and anti-phenolic glycolipid-I serology for Hansen's disease diagnosis.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Article
- A new paradigm for leprosy diagnosis based on host gene expression.PLoS pathogens · 2021Article
- Blood RNA signature RISK4LEP predicts leprosy years before clinical onset.EBioMedicine · 2021Article
- Rapid Multiplex Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (m-LAMP) Assay for Differential Diagnosis of Leprosy and Post-Kala-Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2021Article
- Leprosy incidence and risk estimates in a 33-year contact cohort of leprosy patients.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- A comprehensive research agenda for zero leprosy.Infectious diseases of poverty · 2020Article
- Reanalysis and integration of public microarray datasets reveals novel host genes modulated in leprosy.Molecular genetics and genomics : MGG · 2020Article
- The immunology of other mycobacteria: M. ulcerans, M. leprae.Seminars in immunopathology · 2020Review
- Ultra-sensitive detection of Mycobacterium leprae: DNA extraction and PCR assays.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe diagnosis of paucibacillary (PB) leprosy cases remains a challenge because of the absence of a confirmatory laboratory method. While quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) has been shown to provide reliable sensitivity and specificity in PB diagnoses, a thorough investigation of its efficacy in clinical practice has not yet been published. The present study evaluated patients with suspected leprosy skin lesions by using qPCR to identify PB individuals in the Leprosy Outpatient clinic at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
methodsOne hundred seventy-two suspected PB cases were included in the study. The patients were evaluated by a dermatologist at three different times. The clinical dermato-neurological examination and collected samples were performed on the first visit. On the second visit, the results of the histopathological analysis and PCR assay (DNA-based Mycobacterium leprae qPCR-targeting 16S gene) results were analyzed, and a decision regarding multi-drug therapy was made. A year later, the patients were re-examined, and the consensus diagnosis was established.
resultsIn 58% (100/172) of cases, a conclusive diagnosis via histopathological analysis was not possible; however, 30% (30/100) of these cases had a positive PCR. One hundred ten patients (110/172) attended the third visit. The analysis showed that while the sensitivity of the histopathological test was very low (35%), a qPCR alone was more effective for identifying leprosy, with 57% sensitivity.
conclusionThe use of qPCR in suspected PB cases with an inconclusive histology improved the sensitivity of leprosy diagnoses.
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