{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,7]],"date-time":"2026-10-07T14:57:10Z","timestamp":1791385030334,"version":"4.3.3"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","issue":"4","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT.<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    Leprosy or Hansen\u2019s disease remains a public health concern in Ecuador, where diagnosis still relies on clinical evaluation and bacilloscopy. This pilot study evaluated the performance of three polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocols for detection of\n                    <jats:italic>Mycobacterium leprae<\/jats:italic>\n                    in 31 clinical specimens from patients clinically suspected of leprosy. Two real-time PCR assays (quantitative polymerase chain reaction [qPCR]) and one conventional PCR were compared with bacilloscopy. The two qPCR assays showed identical positivity rates of 32.3% (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    = 10\/31), whereas the conventional PCR detected only 3.2% (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    = 1\/31) positives. Overall, PCR positivity was 38.7% (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    = 12\/31) compared with 25.8% (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    = 8\/31) for bacilloscopy. The combined reference standard (considering a sample true positive when either bacilloscopy or PCR was positive) diagnosed 45.2% (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    = 14\/31) of samples as positive. A significant lower sensitivity was observed for conventional PCR compared with qPCR. These findings support the use of qPCR together with bacilloscopy to improve leprosy diagnosis in Ecuador.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4269\/ajtmh.26-0175","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T20:03:14Z","timestamp":1787083394000},"page":"758-761","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Comparison of Three Polymerase Chain Reaction Protocols for the Diagnosis of Leprosy in Ecuador"],"prefix":"10.4269","volume":"115","author":[{"given":"Greta","family":"Franco-Sotomayor","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto Nacional de Salud P\u00fablica e Investigaci\u00f3n, Guayaquil, Ecuador;"},{"name":"Universidad Cat\u00f3lica Santiago de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elsy","family":"Carvajal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"One Health Research Group, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas, Quito, Ecuador;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Heidy Juleisy","family":"Buena\u00f1o Morales","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto Nacional de Salud P\u00fablica e Investigaci\u00f3n, Guayaquil, Ecuador;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Solon Alberto","family":"Orlando","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto Nacional de Salud P\u00fablica e Investigaci\u00f3n, Guayaquil, Ecuador;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jose Julian","family":"Z\u00fa\u00f1iga Velarde","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidad Ecotec, Samborond\u00f3n, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andres","family":"Barragan Pe\u00f1a","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"One Health Research Group, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas, Quito, Ecuador;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"\u00c1ngel Sebasti\u00e1n","family":"Rodriguez-Pazmi\u00f1o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"One Health Research Group, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas, Quito, Ecuador;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Darwin","family":"Paredes-N\u00fa\u00f1ez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"One Health Research Group, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas, Quito, Ecuador;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Greta","family":"Cardenas Franco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"One Health Research Group, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas, Quito, Ecuador;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Manuel","family":"Calvopi\u00f1a","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"One Health Research Group, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas, Quito, Ecuador;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Miguel Angel","family":"Garcia-Bereguiain","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"One Health Research Group, Universidad de Las Am\u00e9ricas, Quito, Ecuador;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2795","reference":[{"issue":"8","key":"b1","series-title":"J Dtsch Dermatol Ges","first-page":"801","article-title":"Leprosy\u2014An overview of clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment","volume":"15","author":"Fischer","year":"2017"},{"issue":"6","key":"b2","series-title":"Am J Clin Pathol","first-page":"856","article-title":"A new Mycobacterium species causing diffuse lepromatous leprosy","volume":"130","author":"Xiang","year":"2008"},{"key":"b3","article-title":"Towards Zero Leprosy. Global Leprosy (Hansen\u2019s Disease) Strategy 2021\u20132030.","year":"2021"},{"key":"b4","article-title":"Subsecretaria Nacional de Vigilancia, Prevenci\u00f3n y Control de la Salud P\u00fablica. Direcci\u00f3n Nacional de Vigilancia Epidemiol\u00f3gica Enfermedades de la Piel.","year":"2026"},{"key":"b5","article-title":"Global Leprosy (Hansen Disease) Update, 2024: Beyond Zero Cases \u2013 What Elimination of Leprosy Really Means.","year":"2024"},{"issue":"10","key":"b6","series-title":"Trop Med Infect Dis","first-page":"246","article-title":"Ecuador towards zero leprosy: A twenty-three-year retrospective epidemiologic and spatiotemporal analysis of leprosy in Ecuador","volume":"9","author":"Hernandez-Bojorge","year":"2024"},{"issue":"8","key":"b7","series-title":"Pathogens","first-page":"832","article-title":"Hansen\u2019s disease in Ecuador: Current status, knowledge gaps, and research priorities: A literature review","volume":"14","author":"Calvopi\u00f1a","year":"2025"},{"issue":"4","key":"b8","series-title":"Jap J Trop Med Hyg","first-page":"219","article-title":"Case report of leprosy and a trial of screenings for the family members in Ecuador","volume":"22","author":"Hosokawa","year":"1994"},{"issue":"6","key":"b9","series-title":"Am J Trop Med Hyg","first-page":"1074","article-title":"Relapse of new world diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) mexicana after miltefosine treatment","volume":"75","author":"Calvopina","year":"2006"},{"issue":"7","key":"b10","series-title":"Actas Dermosifiliogr","first-page":"554","article-title":"Leprosy. An update: Definition, pathogenesis, classification, diagnosis, and treatment","volume":"104","author":"Eichelmann","year":"2013"},{"issue":"4","key":"b11","series-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis","first-page":"e2655","article-title":"PCR-based techniques for leprosy diagnosis: From the laboratory to the clinic","volume":"8","author":"Martinez","year":"2014"},{"issue":"3","key":"b12","series-title":"Am J Trop Med Hyg","first-page":"524","article-title":"Application of RLEP real-time PCR for detection of M. leprae DNA in paraffin-embedded skin biopsy specimens for diagnosis of paucibacillary leprosy","volume":"90","author":"Yan","year":"2014"},{"issue":"11","key":"b13","series-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis","first-page":"e328","article-title":"Enumeration of Mycobacterium leprae using real-time PCR","volume":"2","author":"Truman","year":"2008"},{"issue":"1","key":"b14","series-title":"Sci Rep","first-page":"3165","article-title":"Detection of Mycobacterium leprae DNA in soil: Multiple needles in the haystack","volume":"9","author":"Ti\u00f3-Coma","year":"2019"},{"key":"b15","article-title":"R FAQ.","author":"Hornik","year":"2024"},{"issue":"12","key":"b16","series-title":"Emerg Infect Dis","first-page":"2629","article-title":"Mycobacterium leprae in nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus), Ecuador","volume":"30","author":"Romero-Alvarez","year":"2024"},{"issue":"1","key":"b17","series-title":"Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis","first-page":"115325","article-title":"A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on the diagnostic accuracy and screening of tests to detect antimicrobial resistance in leprosy","volume":"100","author":"Andrade","year":"2021"},{"issue":"4","key":"b18","series-title":"Braz J Infect Dis","first-page":"102381","article-title":"Sensitivity of different DNA extraction methods and PCR to detect resistance in patients with leprosy stratified by the bacilloscopic index","volume":"26","author":"Sevilha-Santos","year":"2022"},{"issue":"1","key":"b19","series-title":"Braz J Infect Dis","first-page":"71","article-title":"qPCR detection of Mycobacterium leprae in biopsies and slit skin smear of different leprosy clinical forms","volume":"21","author":"Azevedo","year":"2017"},{"issue":"8","key":"b20","series-title":"Clin Infect Dis","first-page":"e262","article-title":"Isolation of Mycobacterium lepromatosis and development of molecular diagnostic assays to distinguish Mycobacterium leprae and M. lepromatosis.","volume":"71","author":"Sharma","year":"2020"},{"issue":"1","key":"b21","series-title":"Int J Equity Health","first-page":"98","article-title":"Body map stories from Colombia: Experiences of people affected by leprosy and the influence of peers during diagnosis and treatment","volume":"23","author":"Barbosa Ladino","year":"2024"},{"issue":"1","key":"b22","series-title":"Cad Saude Publica","first-page":"e00113123","article-title":"Factors associated with delayed diagnosis of leprosy in an endemic area in northeastern Brazil: A cross-sectional study","volume":"40","author":"Santos","year":"2024"},{"issue":"4","key":"b23","series-title":"Bull World Health Organ","first-page":"288","article-title":"Target product profiles: Leprosy diagnostics","volume":"102","author":"Kukkaro","year":"2024"}],"container-title":["The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.ajtmh.org\/view\/journals\/tpmd\/115\/4\/article-p758.xml","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.ajtmh.org\/downloadpdf\/journals\/tpmd\/115\/4\/article-p758.xml","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.ajtmh.org\/downloadpdf\/journals\/tpmd\/115\/4\/article-p758.xml","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,7]],"date-time":"2026-10-07T14:24:46Z","timestamp":1791383086000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.ajtmh.org\/view\/journals\/tpmd\/115\/4\/article-p758.xml"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,7]]},"references-count":23,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4"},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4269\/ajtmh.26-0175","relation":{},"ISSN":["0002-9637","1476-1645"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0002-9637","type":"print"},{"value":"1476-1645","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,7]]}}}