Western blot analysis as an aid for the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania major.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) due to Leishmania major is endemic in the Old World. To evaluate the diagnostic value of Western blot (WB) compared with IFAT, we tested serum samples from 45 patients with proven CL. Twenty-one (47%) patients were positive by IFAT and all patients were positive by WB with specific bands against 14kDa and/or 18kDa Leishmania antigens. Our results suggest that WB could be a useful non-invasive tool for the diagnosis of CL caused by L. major.