Evaluation of four molecular methods to detect Leishmania infection in dogs

Table 2 Positive samples, analysed by the different PCR protocols, from 150 dogs clinically suspected of leishmaniasis and from 79 apparently healthy dogs

Abbreviations: AH apparently healthy, CS clinically suspected, ITS1 internal transcribed spacer 1, MC minicircle, PCR polymerase chain reaction, rRNA ribosomal RNA gene, SSU small subunit, Uni21/Lmj4 Uni21 primer based on a conserved region of a Leishmania major kinetoplastid minicircle sequence, and Lmj4 based on the variable region of the same L. major sequence
Only statistically significant differences are shown: ^a Z = 2.76, P = 0.006; ^b Z = 2.41, P = 0.016; ^c Z = 2.53, P = 0.012; ^d Z = 7.31, P < 0.001; ^e,f Z = 5.65, P < 0.001