Leishmania naiffi and lainsoni in French Guiana: Clinical features and phylogenetic variability

Abstract

In French Guiana, five species are associated with Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL). Though infections with Leishmania guyanensis, L. (V.) braziliensis and L. (L.) amazonensis have been extensively described, there are few available clinical and genetic data on L. (V.) lainsoni and L. (V.) naiffi. We determined the clinical and epidemiological features of all cases of CL due to L. (V.) naiffi and L. (V.) lainsoni diagnosed in French Guiana between 2003 and 2019. Phylogenetic analysis was performed by sequencing a portion of HSP70 and cyt b genes. Five cases of L. naiffi and 25 cases of L. lainsoni were reported. Patients infected by L. (V.) lainsoni were usually infected on gold camps, mostly along the Maroni river (60%), while L. naiffi was observed in French patients infected on the coast (100%). A high number of pediatric cases (n = 5; 20%) was observed for L. (V.) lainsoni. A mild clinical course was observed for all cases of L. (V.) naiffi. HSP70 and cyt b partial nucleotide sequence analysis revealed different geographical clusters within L. (V.) naiffi and L. (V.) lainsoni but no association were found between phylogenetic and clinical features. Our data suggest distinct socio-epidemiological features for these two Leishmania species. Patients seem to get infected with L. (V.) naiffi during leisure activities in anthropized coastal areas, while L. (V.) lainsoni shares common features with L. (V.) guyanensis and braziliensis and seems to be acquired during professional activities in primary forest regions. Phylogenetic analysis has provided information on the intraspecific genetic variability of L. (V.) naiffi and L. (V.) lainsoni and how these genotypes are distributed at the geographic level.

Development of an Amplicon-Based Next-Generation Sequencing Protocol to Identify Leishmania Species and Other Trypanosomatids in Leishmaniasis Endemic Areas

“…Therefore, this is the first report of Leishmania polyparasitism in naturally infected dogs from Colombia, showing triple-infection events. Interestingly, two of the canines showed coinfection with L. naiffi , a recently identified species in Colombia ( 53 ) that is known to cause human cutaneous disease in Panama, French Guiana, and the Brazilian Amazon ( 53 , 54 ). Furthermore, the facts that L. naiffi had not been previously identified in Sincelejo, where the sample was obtained, and that one of its vectors ( Lutzomyia gomezi ) is endemic across neighboring departments (Cordoba, Atlantico, and La Guajira) ( 30 , 55 , 56 ) where cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic strongly suggest a possible expansion of the ecological range of the sand fly vector, thus highlighting the introduction of new species and/or genotypes to certain geographical areas where they had not been previously reported, increasing the possibility that a vector/reservoir could be infected with more than one species.…”

Outbreak of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis among military personnel in French Guiana, 2020: Clinical, phylogenetic, individual and environmental aspects

“…pandemics during the study period, we were not able to use other techniques than the routine Hsp70 PCR. Indeed, though Hsp70 allowed us to highlight intra-species differences and geographical clusters for Leishmania lainsoni and naiffi in a previous study, [5] this gene is known to be highly conserved and is primarily used for differentiation between Leishmania species and not as an intra-species marker. Therefore, we could not find correlations between genetic characteristics and clinical or geographical features.…”

“…In French Guiana, between 200 and 300 cases are reported annually [3,4]. In this French territory, five Leishmania species are reported: Leishmania guyanensis, L. braziliensis, L. naiffi, L. lainsoni, and L. amazonensis [3,5,6]. L. guyanensis is the most frequent species and usually represents more than 80% of cases each year [3].…”

Filling the gaps in Leishmania naiffi and Leishmania guyanensis genome plasticity

“…Since 1989, when the first clinical descriptions of CL by L. naiffi emerged from Brazil ( Ducharme et al 2020 ), DNA samples of this species have been retrieved from murine ( Cassia-Pires et al 2014 ; Roque and Jansen 2014 ) and sand fly hosts ( Silva et al 2021 ). Albeit rare to cause disease in humans (and in such cases, responsive to therapy), instances of CL are regularly described in connection to L. naiffi throughout South America ( Correa-Cardenas et al 2020 ; Ducharme et al 2020 ; de Almeida et al 2021 ). Some studies even denote parasite resistance to first-line therapy ( Ducharme et al 2020 ).…”

“…Albeit rare to cause disease in humans (and in such cases, responsive to therapy), instances of CL are regularly described in connection to L. naiffi throughout South America ( Correa-Cardenas et al 2020 ; Ducharme et al 2020 ; de Almeida et al 2021 ). Some studies even denote parasite resistance to first-line therapy ( Ducharme et al 2020 ). In Colombia, L. naiffi infection has been reported in humans as well as in Canis lupus familiaris ( Correa-Cardenas et al 2020 ; Patiño et al 2021 ).…”