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de Araujo FF, Lakhal-Naouar I, Koles N, Raiciulescu S, Mody R, Aronson N. Potential Biomarkers for Asymptomatic Visceral Leishmaniasis among Iraq-Deployed U.S. Military Personnel. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12050705. [PMID: 37242376 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12050705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a chronic infection caused by Leishmania (L.) donovani or L. infantum parasites. Despite having the infection, most individuals never develop the clinical disease and are able to control the parasite and remain asymptomatic. However, some progress to symptomatic VL, leading to death if untreated. The host immune response has a major role in determining the progression and severity of the clinical manifestations in VL; several immune biomarkers of symptomatic VL have been described with interferon-gamma release as a surrogate biomarker of host cellular immunity. However, new biomarkers to identify asymptomatic VL (AVL) are needed for the identification of people at risk for VL activation. In our study, levels of chemokine/cytokine in the supernatants of peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMC) from 35 AVL+ Iraq-deployed participants, stimulated in vitro with soluble Leishmania antigen for 72 h, were assessed by a bead-based assay that allows the measurement of multiple analytes. PBMC of AVL-negative military beneficiaries were used as controls. Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1, Monokine Induced by Gamma Interferon and Interleukin-8, were detected at high levels in AVL+ stimulated cultures from Iraq deployers compared to uninfected controls. Measurement of chemokine/cytokine levels can identify cellular immune responses in AVL+ asymptomatic individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Fortes de Araujo
- Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - Ines Lakhal-Naouar
- Diagnostics and Countermeasures Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
| | - Nancy Koles
- Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - Sorana Raiciulescu
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Rupal Mody
- Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
- Department of Medicine, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, TX 79916, USA
| | - Naomi Aronson
- Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
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Inoculation of the Leishmania infantum HSP70-II Null Mutant Induces Long-Term Protection against L. amazonensis Infection in BALB/c Mice. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9020363. [PMID: 33673117 PMCID: PMC7918614 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9020363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmania amazonensis parasites are etiological agents of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the New World. BALB/c mice are highly susceptible to L. amazonensis challenge due to their inability to mount parasite-dependent IFN-γ-mediated responses. Here, we analyzed the capacity of a single administration of the LiΔHSP70-II genetically-modified attenuated L. infantum line in preventing cutaneous leishmaniasis in mice challenged with L. amazonensis virulent parasites. In previous studies, this live attenuated vaccine has demonstrated to induce long-protection against murine leishmaniasis due to Old World Leishmania species. Vaccinated mice showed a reduction in the disease evolution due to L. amazonensis challenge, namely reduction in cutaneous lesions and parasite burdens. In contrast to control animals, after the challenge, protected mice showed anti-Leishmania IgG2a circulating antibodies accompanied to the induction of Leishmania-driven specific IFN-γ systemic response. An analysis performed in the lymph node draining the site of infection revealed an increase of the parasite-specific IFN-ϒ production by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and a decrease in the secretion of IL-10 against leishmanial antigens. Since the immunity caused by the inoculation of this live vaccine generates protection against different forms of murine leishmaniasis, we postulate LiΔHSP70-II as a candidate for the development of human vaccines.
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Michel G, Ferrua B, Munro P, Boyer L, Mathal N, Gillet D, Marty P, Lemichez E. Immunoadjuvant Properties of the Rho Activating Factor CNF1 in Prophylactic and Curative Vaccination against Leishmania infantum. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0156363. [PMID: 27257862 PMCID: PMC4892475 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a need to develop new effective immunoadjuvants for prophylactic or therapeutic vaccines against intracellular pathogens. The activation of Rho GTPases by bacterial cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 (CNF1) elicits humoral protective responses against protein antigens. Here, we set out to investigate whether CNF1 activity initiates humoral immunity against co-administered parasite antigens and anti-microbial immune signaling. We report that co-administration of wild-type (WT) CNF1 with Leishmania (L.) promastigote antigens at the nasal mucosa triggered prophylactic and curative vaccine responses against this parasite. Vaccination of the mucosa with promastigote lysate antigens combined with WT CNF1 conferred protection against high inoculum L. infantum infection, which reached 82% in the spleen. Immune parameter analysis by antigen recall indicated robust T-helper (Th)1 polarization of immune memory cells, with high IL-2 and IFN-γ production combined with decreased IL-4 production. Additionally, we explored the curative effect of WT CNF1 on previously infected animals. We observed that PL combined with WT CNF1, but not the inactive C866S mutant CNF1 (mCNF1), induced a 58% decrease in the parasite burden in the spleen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grégory Michel
- Inserm U1065, Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Team “Microbial toxins in host pathogen interactions”, Equipe labellisée ligue contre le cancer, Nice, France
- Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Faculté de Médecine, Nice, France
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Nice, France
- * E-mail: (GM); (EL)
| | - Bernard Ferrua
- Inserm U1065, Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Team “Microbial toxins in host pathogen interactions”, Equipe labellisée ligue contre le cancer, Nice, France
- Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Faculté de Médecine, Nice, France
| | - Patrick Munro
- Inserm U1065, Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Team “Microbial toxins in host pathogen interactions”, Equipe labellisée ligue contre le cancer, Nice, France
- Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Faculté de Médecine, Nice, France
| | - Laurent Boyer
- Inserm U1065, Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Team “Microbial toxins in host pathogen interactions”, Equipe labellisée ligue contre le cancer, Nice, France
- Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Faculté de Médecine, Nice, France
| | - Nassim Mathal
- CEA, iBiTecS, SIMOPRO, Paris Saclay University, LabEx LERMIT, Gif sur Yvette, France
| | - Daniel Gillet
- CEA, iBiTecS, SIMOPRO, Paris Saclay University, LabEx LERMIT, Gif sur Yvette, France
| | - Pierre Marty
- Inserm U1065, Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Team “Microbial toxins in host pathogen interactions”, Equipe labellisée ligue contre le cancer, Nice, France
- Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Faculté de Médecine, Nice, France
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Nice, France
| | - Emmanuel Lemichez
- Inserm U1065, Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Team “Microbial toxins in host pathogen interactions”, Equipe labellisée ligue contre le cancer, Nice, France
- Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Faculté de Médecine, Nice, France
- * E-mail: (GM); (EL)
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McCall LI, Zhang WW, Ranasinghe S, Matlashewski G. Leishmanization revisited: immunization with a naturally attenuated cutaneous Leishmania donovani isolate from Sri Lanka protects against visceral leishmaniasis. Vaccine 2012; 31:1420-5. [PMID: 23219435 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2012.11.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2012] [Revised: 11/08/2012] [Accepted: 11/25/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by Leishmania protozoa and associated with three main clinical presentations: cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. Visceral leishmaniasis is the second most lethal parasitic disease after malaria and there is so far no human vaccine. Leishmania donovani is a causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis in South East Asia and Eastern Africa. However, in Sri Lanka, L. donovani causes mainly cutaneous leishmaniasis, while visceral leishmaniasis is rare. We investigate here the possibility that the cutaneous form of L. donovani can provide immunological protection against the visceral form of the disease, as a potential explanation for why visceral leishmaniasis is rare in Sri Lanka. Subcutaneous immunization with a cutaneous clinical isolate from Sri Lanka was significantly protective against visceral leishmaniasis in BALB/c mice. Protection was associated with a mixed Th1/Th2 response. These results provide a possible rationale for the scarcity of visceral leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka and could guide leishmaniasis vaccine development efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura-Isobel McCall
- McGill University, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, 3775 University Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
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Rojo-Montejo S, Collantes-Fernández E, López-Pérez I, Risco-Castillo V, Prenafeta A, Ortega-Mora LM. Evaluation of the protection conferred by a naturally attenuated Neospora caninum isolate against congenital and cerebral neosporosis in mice. Vet Res 2012; 43:62. [PMID: 22913428 PMCID: PMC3468385 DOI: 10.1186/1297-9716-43-62] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2012] [Accepted: 07/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The parasite Neospora caninum is an important abortifacient agent in cattle worldwide. At present, the development of an effective and safe vaccine against bovine neosporosis is of great relevance. Recently, a new isolate of N. caninum (Nc-Spain 1 H) which was obtained from the brain of an asymptomatic congenitally infected calf, exhibited non-virulent behaviour in mouse and bovine infection models. The aim of this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of Nc-Spain 1 H when used as a vaccinal isolate in well-established BALB/c models of congenital and cerebral neosporosis. Mice were subcutaneously immunised twice at 3-week intervals and were challenged with 2 × 106 tachyzoites of the virulent Nc-Liv isolate. After immunisation with live Nc-Spain 1 H tachyzoites, no parasitic DNA was detected in the dams’ brains before challenge and microsatellite analysis performed in PCR-positive mice showed that the profiles corresponded to the challenge isolate Nc-Liv, indicating the Nc-Spain 1 H isolate to be a safe vaccine candidate. The efficacy of the live vaccine was evaluated in the first experiment after the immunisation of mice with 5 × 105 live Nc-Spain 1 H tachyzoites. This immunisation protocol significantly reduced the neonatal mortality to 2.4%, reduced the vertical transmission from 89.1% to 2.3% and completely limited the cerebral infection. These results were associated with a Th1-type immune response. In the second experiment, the effect of various immunising doses was established using ten-fold dilutions of the tachyzoites (from 5 × 105 to 5 × 10). In all the cases, congenital protection rates above 60% were observed, and the mice that were immunised with the lowest dose (5 × 10) presented the highest protection rate (86%). Moreover, low immunising doses of Nc-Spain 1 H induced an IgG2a response, and high parasitic doses induced an IgG1 response. These results evidence the safety and the efficient protection that was conferred by Nc-Spain 1 H against congenital neosporosis, even when the mice were immunised with low parasitic doses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Rojo-Montejo
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, Madrid, 28040, Spain.
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Datta S, Adak R, Chakraborty P, Haldar AK, Bhattacharjee S, Chakraborty A, Roy S, Manna M. Radio-attenuated leishmanial parasites as immunoprophylactic agent against experimental murine visceral leishmaniasis. Exp Parasitol 2011; 130:39-47. [PMID: 22019416 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2011.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2010] [Revised: 09/25/2011] [Accepted: 10/03/2011] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
The present study intends to evaluate the role of radio-attenuated leishmania parasites as immunoprophylactic agents for experimental murine visceral leishmaniasis. BALB/c mice were immunized with gamma (γ)-irradiated Leishmania donovani. A second immunization was given after 15 days of first immunization. After two immunizations, mice were infected with virulent L. donovani promastigotes. Protection against Kala-azar (KA) was estimated from spleen and liver parasitic burden along with the measurement of nitrite and superoxide anion generation by isolation of splenocytes and also by T-lymphocyte helper 1(Th1) and T-lymphocyte helper 2(Th2) cytokines release from the experimental groups. It was observed that BALB/c mice having prior immunization with radio-attenuated parasites showed protection against L. donovani infection through higher expression of Th1 cytokines and suppression of Th2 cytokines along with the generation of protective free radicals. The group of mice without prior priming with radio-attenuated parasites surrendered to the disease. Thus it can be concluded that radio-attenuated L. donovani may be used for.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanchita Datta
- Department of Zoology, Bethune College, 181 Bidhan Sarani, Kolkata 700 006, India
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Michel G, Ferrua B, Lang T, Maddugoda MP, Munro P, Pomares C, Lemichez E, Marty P. Luciferase-expressing Leishmania infantum allows the monitoring of amastigote population size, in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2011; 5:e1323. [PMID: 21931877 PMCID: PMC3172198 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2011] [Accepted: 08/05/2011] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Here we engineered transgenic Leishmania infantum that express luciferase, the objectives being to more easily monitor in real time their establishment either in BALB/c mice—the liver and spleen being mainly studied—or in vitro. Whatever stationary phase L. infantum promastigotes population—wild type or engineered to express luciferase—the parasite burden was similar in the liver and the spleen at day 30 post the intravenous inoculation of BALB/c mice. Imaging of L. infantum hosting BALB/C mice provided sensitivity in the range of 20,000 to 40,000 amastigotes/mg tissue, two tissues—liver and spleen—being monitored. Once sampled and processed ex vivo for their luciferin-dependent bioluminescence the threshold sensitivity was shown to range from 1,000 to 6,000 amastigotes/mg tissue. This model further proved to be valuable for in vivo measurement of the efficiency of drugs such as miltefosine and may, therefore, additionally be used to evaluate vaccine-induced protection. Leishmania infantum/L. chagasi parasites are inoculated in the skin of mammals by sand flies. Though most often these L. infantum-mammal interactions are asymptomatic, they can proceed, in some individuals, to a systemic disease known as visceral leishmaniasis. If left untreated this disease is fatal. The lack of protective or curative vaccines and the limited number of parasite-targeting drugs were incentive to set up experimental conditions that could allow easy monitoring of the fluctuation of the population size of parasites in living laboratory animals. Thus, in the present report, we depict two distinct readout assays that rely on a population of L. infantum we genetically engineered for stably expressing the firefly luciferase gene. These transgenic parasites were either inoculated to BALB/c mice or added to a culture of monocytic cells. Post intravenous inoculation, BALB/c mice were imaged over time, with special attention being given to the liver and the spleen. The sensitivity of this technique ranged from 20,000 to 40,000 parasites/mg of tissue and from 1,000 to 6,000 parasites/mg tissue, for in vivo and ex vivo measurements, respectively. Though preliminary, the data, relying on monocytic cells, are promising for further in vitro screening of small compound libraries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grégory Michel
- Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Faculté de Médecine, Nice, France.
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Michel G, Pomares C, Ferrua B, Marty P. Importance of worldwide asymptomatic carriers of Leishmania infantum (L. chagasi) in human. Acta Trop 2011; 119:69-75. [PMID: 21679680 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2011.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2011] [Revised: 05/25/2011] [Accepted: 05/29/2011] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis due to Leishmania infantum (syn. L. chagasi) infection is a zoonotic disease present mainly in Mediterranean basin, central Asia and Brazil. Besides a limited number of human cases of clinical visceral leishmaniasis, a great number of infections remains asymptomatic. In this review, the prevalence of asymptomatic carriers of L. infantum was evaluated worldwide using parasitological methods or indirect testing such as a skin test or serology. The consequences of the presence of asymptomatic carriers on parasite transmission by blood donation or the development of clinical visceral leishmaniasis in immunocompromised individuals and its possible role as reservoir are discussed.
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Saridomichelakis MN. Advances in the pathogenesis of canine leishmaniosis: epidemiologic and diagnostic implications. Vet Dermatol 2009; 20:471-89. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3164.2009.00823.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Abstract
Antigenemia in patients with Mediterranean visceral leishmaniasis (MVL) due to Leishmania infantum was retrospectively assessed by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Circulating Leishmania antigens, partially in free form, were in evidence in 53% of serum samples from immunocompetent individuals with MVL. Following successful therapy, antigenemia decline as measured by ELISA was more pronounced than antibody decrease.
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Dea-Ayuela MA, Rama-Iñiguez S, Bolas-Fernández F. Contrasting effects of Trichinella spiralis and Trichuris muris antigens on the infection by Leishmania infantum in BALB/c mice. Acta Trop 2007; 103:212-21. [PMID: 17679099 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2007.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2006] [Revised: 06/14/2007] [Accepted: 06/21/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The interaction of Trichinella spiralis and Trichuris muris derived antigens with the infection by Leishmania infantum was investigated in BALB/c mice. Infection with 10(6) promastigotes of L. infantum did not induce relevant serum antibody (IgG subclasses), nor cytokine (IFN-gamma, IL-4) responses despite that mice could partially control the infection. Immunization with T. spiralis activated a moderate IgG1 and secondarily an IgG2a anti-leishmanial response whereas immunization with T. muris elicited only a weak and late activation of IgG1 anti-leishmanial response. Immunization with T. muris caused an elevation of serum IFN-gamma levels which was drastically reinforced by the L. infantum infection, and that was accompanied by almost complete parasitological cure of infected mice. Immunization with T. spiralis induced an elevation of serum IL-4 levels but this response was greatly (about 60%) neutralized by the infection with L. infantum, and this was associated to exacerbation of the infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Dea-Ayuela
- Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense, Plaza de Ramón y Cajal s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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