Rapid clearance of circulating Leishmania kinetoplast DNA after treatment of visceral leishmaniasis

With the aim of evaluating the utility of the detection of Leishmania kDNA in peripheral blood for the cure assessment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a PCR based method was performed in patients with confirmed VL at three follow-up periods after specific chemotherapy with pentavalent antimonial. In 16 out of 17 (94.1%) patients with pre-treatment detectable kDNA that were clinically cured, the PCR turned negative up to 37 days after the initiation of treatment, remaining negative over 90 days after treatment. The clearance of Leishmania kDNA from peripheral blood of patients with VL hints to occur during or shortly after treatment concurring or preceding clinical recovery