Develop Field-usable Diagnostic Devices for the Specific Detection of Leishmania Major and L. Infantum in Sand Flies

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease spread by the bite of the sandfly. Due to its distribution, US military and civilian personnel deployed overseas are at high risk of being infected. Traditional laboratory techniques such as parasite identification in blood smears are labor intensive, and require highly trained personnel. There is a demand for an assay or device that allows for simple, rapid identification of leishmaniasis. We believe that there is sufficient genetic and molecular data available on L. major and L. infantum to allow the development of novel loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) LAMP primers to detect Leishmania DNA in sandflies by this method. Unlike conventional PCR which requires a thermocycler, LAMP reactions are held at a constant temperature and the read out can be done with the naked eye. Currently, point of care devices are being developed which will make LAMP technology fully portable and effective in a variety of situations where conventional laboratories are not available.