Current sampling methods to diagnose cutaneous leishmaniasis are invasive and painful. An alternative and minimally invasive microbiopsy device was evaluated in a diverse range of cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions in Ethiopia. Using polymerase chain reaction-based diagnosis, the microbiopsy outperformed the routine skin slit sample by detecting more patients while pain scores were significantly lower.
Keywords: Leishmania aethiopica; cutaneous leishmaniasis; diagnosis; sample collection.
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.