Non-<i>Leishmania</i> Parasite in Fatal Visceral Leishmaniasis–like Disease, Brazil

Domagalska, Malgorzata A.; Dujardin, Jean‐Claude

doi:10.3201/eid2602.191428

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…First, we standardized a new gene target for the molecular detection of L. infantum . LinJ31_2420 (98 bp) and LinJ31_seq (444 bp) amplicons refer to the putative single-copy p-nitrophenylphosphatase gene, which is located on chromosome 31 of the JPCM5 reference genome [ 37 , 53 , 63 ]. When the first version of the genome was released, this gene was considered unique to L. infantum .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parasite Detection in Visceral Leishmaniasis Samples by Dye-Based qPCR Using New Gene Targets of Leishmania infantum and Crithidia

et al. 2023

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Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected disease considered a serious public health problem, especially in endemic countries. Several studies have discovered monoxenous trypanosomatids (Leptomonas and Crithidia) in patients with VL. In different situations of leishmaniasis, investigations have examined cases of co-infection between Leishmania spp. and Crithidia spp. These coinfections have been observed in a wide range of vertebrate hosts, indicating that they are not rare. Diagnostic techniques require improvements and more robust tools to accurately detect the causative agent of VL. This study aimed to develop a real-time quantitative dye-based PCR (qPCR) assay capable of distinguishing Leishmania infantum from Crithidia-related species and to estimate the parasite load in samples of VL from humans and animals. The primer LinJ31_2420 targets an exclusive phosphatase of L. infantum; the primer Catalase_LVH60-12060_1F targets the catalase gene of Crithidia. Therefore, primers were designed to detect L. infantum and Crithidia sp. LVH60A (a novel trypanosomatid isolated from VL patients in Brazil), in samples related to VL. These primers were considered species-specific, based on sequence analysis using genome data retrieved from the TriTryp database and the genome assembling of Crithidia sp. LVH60A strain, in addition to experimental and clinical data presented herein. This novel qPCR assay was highly accurate in identifying and quantifying L. infantum and Crithidia sp. LVH60A in samples obtained experimentally (in vitro and in vivo) or collected from hosts (humans, dogs, cats, and vectors). Importantly, the screening of 62 cultured isolates from VL patients using these primers surprisingly revealed that 51 parasite cultures were PCR+ for Crithidia sp. In addition, qPCR assays identified the co-infection of L. infantum with Crithidia sp. LVH60A in two new VL cases in Brazil, confirming the suspicion of co-infection in a previously reported case of fatal VL. We believe that the species-specific genes targeted in this study can be helpful for the molecular diagnosis of VL, as well as for elucidating suspected co-infections with monoxenous-like trypanosomatids, which is a neglected fact of a neglected disease.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parasite Detection in Visceral Leishmaniasis Samples by Dye-Based qPCR Using New Gene Targets of Leishmania infantum and Crithidia

et al. 2023

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“…After that, in the mouse, the few Leishmania cells can outnumber the Crithidia . Therefore, a molecular identification after the experimental infection can help solve this puzzle ( Domagalska and Dujardin, 2020 ). Finally, the last report sequencing the ITS1 gene directly from buffy coat samples in 14 patients (seven symptomatic and seven asymptomatic) in Iran revealed that one asymptomatic sample presented close similarity (99.75%) to C. fasciulata ( Rezaei et al., 2020 ).…”

Section: Crithidia Occurrence In Immunocompetent Patientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Stroll Through the History of Monoxenous Trypanosomatids Infection in Vertebrate Hosts

Boucinha

Andrade-Neto

Ennes-Vidal

et al. 2022

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

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The Trypanosomatidae family encompasses unicellular flagellates and obligate parasites of invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants. Trypanosomatids are traditionally divided into heteroxenous, characterized by the alternation of the life cycle between an insect vector and a plant or a vertebrate host, including humans being responsible for severe diseases; and monoxenous, which are presumably unique parasites of invertebrate hosts. Interestingly, studies reporting the occurrence of these monoxenous trypanosomatids in humans have been gradually increasing, either associated with Leishmania co-infection, or supposedly alone either in immunocompromised or even more sporadically in immunocompetent hosts. This review summarizes the first reports that raised the hypothesis that monoxenous trypanosomatids could be found in vertebrate hosts till the most current reports on the occurrence of Crithidia spp. alone in immunocompetent human patients.

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“…Coinfection by two trypanosomatids, L. donovani and Leptomonas seymouri , was detected in immunocompromised PDKL patients [ 99 ]. A coinfection by L. infantum and a Crithidia -related parasite may also be associated with fatal visceral leishmaniasis [ 100 , 101 ].…”

Section: Natural Mixed Infections By Leishmania Sp...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Interspecies and Intrastrain Interplay among Leishmania spp. Parasites

et al. 2022

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Leishmania parasites present astonishing adaptative abilities that represent a matter of life or death within disparate environments during the heteroxenous parasite life cycle. From an evolutionary perspective, organisms develop methods of overcoming such challenges. Strategies that extend beyond the genetic diversity have been discussed and include variability between parasite cells during the infections of their hosts. The occurrence of Leishmania subpopulation fluctuations with variable structural genomic contents demonstrates that a single strain might shelter the variability required to overcome inconsistent environments. Such intrastrain variability provides parasites with an extraordinary ability to adapt and thus survive and propagate. However, different perspectives on this evolution have been proposed. Strains or species living in the same environment can cooperate but also compete. These interactions might increase the replication rate of some parasites but cause the loss of more aggressive competitors for others. Adaptive responses to intra- and interspecific competition can evolve as a fixed strategy (replication is adapted to the average genetic complexity of infections) or an optional strategy (replication varies according to the genetic complexity of the current infection). This review highlights the complexity of interspecies and intrastrain interactions among Leishmania parasites as well as the different factors that influence this interplay.

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Non-Leishmania Parasite in Fatal Visceral Leishmaniasis–like Disease, Brazil

Cited by 5 publications

References 3 publications

Parasite Detection in Visceral Leishmaniasis Samples by Dye-Based qPCR Using New Gene Targets of Leishmania infantum and Crithidia

Parasite Detection in Visceral Leishmaniasis Samples by Dye-Based qPCR Using New Gene Targets of Leishmania infantum and Crithidia

A Stroll Through the History of Monoxenous Trypanosomatids Infection in Vertebrate Hosts

Interspecies and Intrastrain Interplay among Leishmania spp. Parasites

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