Objective: In this study, it was aimed to design primers and probes to identify Leishmania species (Leishmania donovani, Leishmania major, Leishmania tropica and Leishmania infantum) through Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction using the cytochrome b gene region.

Method: The Leishmania strains, which have been cryopreserved and stored in liquid nitrogen in the Parasite Bank of Manisa Celal Bayar University, were transferred to culture media after being revived under the appropriate conditions and their DNA isolations were conducted using a commercial kit. Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction melting analyses were conducted for the extracted DNA by utilizing both the candidate primers and probes of cytochrome b gene region, newly designed for Leishmania, and the primers and probes, designed for internal transcribed spacer-1 gene region we had previously used for control.

Results: Leishmania tropica, Leishmania major, Leishmania infantum, Leishmania donovani, Leishmania aethiopica and Leishmania infantum/donovani hybrid species were managed to be genotyped succesfully using the primers and probes of the newly designed cytochrome b gene region.

Conclusion: It has been observed that Old World Leishmania species (Leishmania tropica, Leishmania major, Leishmania infantum, Leishmania donovani, Leishmania aethiopica and Leishmania infantum/donovani hybrid), rather than New World Leishmania species (Leishmania brazilensis and Leishmania amazonensis), were successfully genotyped by the primers and probes of the newly designed cytochrome b gene region.