New insights into the genetic diversity of Leishmania RNA Virus 1 and its species-specific relationship with Leishmania parasites

Abstract

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a neglected parasitic disease that manifests in infected individuals under different phenotypes, with a range of factors contributing to its broad clinical spectrum. One factor, Leishmania RNA Virus 1 (LRV1), has been described as an endosymbiont present in different species of Leishmania. LRV1 significantly worsens the lesion, exacerbating the immune response in both experimentally infected animals and infected individuals. Little is known about the composition and genetic diversity of these viruses. Here, we investigated the relationship between the genetic composition of LRV1 detected in strains of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis and L. (V.) guyanensis and the interaction between the endosymbiont and the parasitic species, analyzing an approximately 850 base pair region of the viral genome. We also included one LRV1 sequence detected in L. (V.) shawi, representing the first report of LRV1 in a species other than L. braziliensis and L. guyanensis. The results illustrate the genetic diversity of the LRV1 strains analyzed here, with smaller divergences detected among viral sequences from the same parasite species. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the LRV1 sequences are grouped according to the parasite species and possibly according to the population of the parasite in which the virus was detected, corroborating the hypothesis of joint evolution of the viruses with the speciation of Leishmania parasites.

First report of Leishmania (Viannia) lindenbergi causing tegumentary leishmaniasis in the Brazilian western Amazon region

“…Out of seven Leishmania species associated with human TL infections in the North Region of Brazil, only L. lindenbergi had yet to be recorded in the state of Rondônia [3, 4]. In this state, approximately one thousand new cases of TL are registered per year, and the municipalities of Porto Velho and Machadinho d’Oeste comprise 16% and 4% of these cases, respectively [2].…”

Vigilância da leishmaniose cutânea em amostras clínicas: distribuição da Leishmania guyanensis no estado do Amapá, 2018*

“…8,10,11 L. braziliensis and L. guyanensis infection caused by Leishmania RNA virus subtype 1, found in Peru, Bolivia, French Guiana, Suriname and Brazil, would explain the high virulence and resistance of these species to the drug. 23 Biological factors of CL need to be monitored, especially in frontier regions.…”

Draft Whole-Genome Sequence of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis Presenting Leishmania RNA Virus 1, from Western Amazon, Brazil

“…The hypothesis that LRV1 is an ancient virus that coevolved with Leishmania species ( 2 ) and is not transmitted from one Leishmania strain to another is well accepted. Genetic clusters observed for L. braziliensis strains correlate with the presence/absence of LRV1, as well as with the phylogeny of this endosymbiont ( 3 ), indicating differences in the genomes of L. braziliensis strains bearing LRV1.…”