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Abstract Background and Objective: Culture, microscopic method is a gold standard method for identification of Lishmania parasite. The use of Molecular methods such as RT- PCR compared to microscopic methods has a higher sensitivity and specificity however, it is not widely used due to its expensive equipment and the time requested. The use of nucleic acid sequence based amplification (NASBA) method is highly valuable for diagnosis of live parasite because there is no need for to use Thermo cycler. We aimed to assess sensitivity and specificity of NASBA for molecular detection of cutaneous Leishmaniasis. Material and Methods: First, the RNA was extracted from 28 skin biopsies suspected cutaneous Leishmaniasis. Then, by means of specific primers designed for 18srRNA region, this region was amplified using NASBA isothemal amplification. To increase the sensitivity, the product was electroforesed in TBE (IX) buffer, using Syber Gold Flourecent probes. Using specific primers, RT- PCR was conducted on the samples too. Result: For diagnosis of Leishmania parasites, NASBA and RT-PCR had the sensitivity of 81% and 51%, respectively, and specificity of 100%. Conclusion: NASBA isothermal method with high sensitivity and specificity can be applied for identification of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Keywords: Cutaneous Leishmanisis, NASBA, 18S rRNA

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      Background and objectives: Leishmaniasis is a tropical disease caused by protozoan parasites from the genus Leishmania. In this study, we aimed at investigating the in vitro anti-leishmanial effect of essential oils of Rosmarinus officinalis, Mentha pulegium, Foeniculum vulgare, Lippia citriodora and Pelargonium graveolens.
       Methods: The essential oils were prepared from freshly dried and powdered plants with steam-distilled water. Iranian strain of Leishmania promastigotes was cultured in RPMI medium and the inhibitory effects of different concentrations (25, 32, 62.5, 125, 250, 500 and 1000 μg/ml) of the essential oils were investigated at 24, 48 and 72 hours. The number of live parasites before and after treatment with the essential oils was counted by trypan blue 10% staining and using neobar lam.
      Results: The essential oils significantly decreased the number of promastigotes in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). However, the inhibitory effects of F. vulgare and R. officinalis essential oils were more profound compared to other essential oils. Moreover, concentrations of 500 and 1000 μg/ml of these two essential oils exerted equal and more anti-leishmanial potency compared to glucantime, the first-line drug used for treatment of leishmaniasis.
       Conclusion: Based on the results, it is recommended to evaluate the in vivo anti-leishmanial effects of the tested essential oils, particularly F. vulgare and R. officinalis.

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Background and objectives: Cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in most areas of Iran, and the diagnosis of its species is essential for controlling the disease. Leishmania major is the causative agent for cutaneous leishmaniasis in humans. Molecular methods are generally more sensitive than microscopic methods. The present study aimed to use a polymerase chain reaction-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (PCR-ELISA) technique for detecting live L. major from wounds of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Methods: In the present study, a standard strain of L. major promastigotes was used as the positive control for purification of DNA. The Novy–MacNeal–Nicolle and RPMI-1640 media were used for reproduction of parasites. DNA was isolated from specimens taken from 35 patients with suspected cutaneous leishmaniasis whose disease was confirmed by direct smear method. The PCR-ELISA technique was later applied by using the standard strain, patient specimens, and primers specific for the 18s rRNA.
Results: Out of 35 patients, 17 (48.6%) were male and 18 (51.4%) were female. In addition, 8.6% of the patients lived in the Gonbad-e Kavus County, while all patients had been infected in villages around Gonbad-e Kavus. Of 35 patients with confirmed cutaneous leishmaniasis according to the direct smear method, 31 patients (86.31%) had leishmaniasis based on the PCR method and the PCR-ELISA methods.
Conclusion: Based on the results, the PCR-ELISA method is more sensitive and accurate for detecting L. major.

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Dear Editor,
There are several reports about the modulatory effects of intracellular pathogens, such as Leishmania spp., to help survival and replication inside host cells. They alter host cells' defense and offence mechanisms, and in case of leishmaniasis, the pathogen creates a hostile environment inside macrophages. We performed an RNA sequencing analysis of transcriptome changes in Leishmania major-infected human macrophages at four hour post infection. In this study, we investigated gene expression pattern of the infected macrophages against microbead (4.16 µm) polystyrene particles phagocytized and non-polarized macrophages as controls. Monocytes with high purity were isolated from healthy donors by magnetic-activated cell sorting and then differentiated into macrophages after 6-9 days of incubation at 37 ˚C.
In this study, we focused on some key interaction events between host cell and the pathogen; so some feature steps resulting from dictation strategies of the pathogen are presented below.