Characterization of Leishmania spp. causing cutaneous leishmaniasis in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

Abstract

In the State of Amazonas, American tegumentary leishmaniasis is endemic and presents a wide spectrum of clinical variability due to the large diversity of circulating species in the region. Isolates from patients in Manaus and its metropolitan region were characterized using monoclonal antibodies and isoenzymes belonging to four species of the parasite: Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis, 73% (153/209); Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis, 14% (30/209); Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis, 8% (17/209); and Leishmania (Viannia) naiffii, 4% (9/209). The most prevalent species was L. (V.) guyanensis. The principal finding of this study was the important quantity of infections involving more than one parasite species, representing 14% (29/209) of the total. The findings obtained in this work regarding the parasite are further highlighted by the fact that these isolates were obtained from clinical samples collected from single lesions.

Development and validation of PCR-based assays for diagnosis of American cutaneous leishmaniasis and identificatio nof the parasite species

“…Discrepancies among the results related to the identification of Leishmania species were also observed when using clinical samples and the possibility that there were mixed infections among the specimens cannot be ruled out (Camara-Coelho et al 2011). One explanation for this finding is the differential amplification of each marker, whereby different primers may preferentially amplify DNA from different species.…”

American Tegumentary Leishmaniasis and HIV-AIDS Association in a Tertiary Care Center in the Brazilian Amazon

“…21 Our case series included patients from an area where L. ( V. ) guyanensis is the predominant cause of ATL, with a relatively low prevalence of L. ( V. ) braziliensis that ranges from 2.8% to 14%. 2,17 The retrospective nature and lack of a control group means that we are unable to further explore the influence of CD4 cell count and the use of HAART on the presentation of ATL and response to treatment. Furthermore, it was only possible to ascertain the Leishmania species in four cases, and although previous data support the predominance of L. ( V. ) guyanensis in our region, accurate identification of the infecting species in future prospective studies will allow the formation of more robust conclusions.…”

“…In four cases, Leishmania species identification was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) according to a previously described protocol. 16,17 In accordance with the Brazilian Ministry of Health recommendations for the management of ATL, 18 initial treatment consisted of the administration of pentavalent antimonials (intravenous glucantime 15 mg/kg per day for 20 days for CL and 20 mg/kg per day for 30 days for MCL) or pentamidine (three doses of 4 mg/kg per day administered every other day).…”

An optimized nanoparticle delivery system based on chitosan and chondroitin sulfate molecules reduces the toxicity of amphotericin B and is effective in treating tegumentary leishmaniasis

“…amazonensis is a member of the L. mexicana complex and is the etiological agent for a broad spectrum of leishmaniasis in South American countries. 58 Among the causative species of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Brazil, recent data indicate that about 8% are attributed to L. amazonensis. 59 The present study evaluated the efficacy of NQ, NQC, and NQCAmpB nanoparticles in treating chronically L. amazonensisinfected BALB/c mice, as compared to treatment with free AmpB.…”