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Gaitán-Albarracín F, Losada-Barragán M, Pinho N, Azevedo R, Durães J, Arcila-Barrera JS, Menezes RC, Morgado FN, Carvalho VDF, Umaña-Pérez A, Cuervo P. Malnutrition Aggravates Alterations Observed in the Gut Structure and Immune Response of Mice Infected with Leishmania infantum. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9061270. [PMID: 34207946 PMCID: PMC8230684 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9061270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Malnutrition is a risk factor for developing visceral leishmaniasis and its severe forms. Our group demonstrated that malnourished animals infected with Leishmania infantum had severe atrophies in lymphoid organs and T cell subpopulations as well as altered levels of thymic and splenic chemotactic factors, all of which resulted in dysfunctional lymphoid microenvironments that promoted parasite proliferation. Here, we hypothesize that malnutrition preceding parasite infection leads to structural and immunological changes in the gut mucosae, resulting in a failure in the immune response sensed in the intestine. To evaluate this, we analyzed the immunopathological events resulting from protein malnutrition in the guts of BALB/c mice infected with L. infantum. We observed lymphocytic/lymphoplasmacytic inflammatory infiltrates and lymphoid hyperplasia in the duodenum of well-nourished-infected mice; such alterations were worsened when malnutrition preceded infection. Parasite infection induced a significant increase of duodenal immunoglobulin A (IgA) of well-nourished animals, but those levels were significantly decreased in malnourished-infected mice. In addition, increased levels of Th17-related cytokines in duodenums of malnourished animals supported local inflammation. Together, our results suggest that the gut plays a potential role in responses to L. infantum infection—and that such responses are impaired in malnourished individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Gaitán-Albarracín
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmanioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, 21040-360 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; (F.G.-A.); (N.P.); (R.A.); (J.D.); (F.N.M.)
- Grupo de Investigación en Hormonas, Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, 111321 Bogotá, Colombia;
| | - Monica Losada-Barragán
- Grupo de Investigación en Biología Celular y Funcional e Ingeniería de Biomoléculas, Universidad Antonio Nariño, 111511 Bogotá, Colombia;
| | - Nathalia Pinho
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmanioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, 21040-360 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; (F.G.-A.); (N.P.); (R.A.); (J.D.); (F.N.M.)
| | - Renata Azevedo
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmanioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, 21040-360 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; (F.G.-A.); (N.P.); (R.A.); (J.D.); (F.N.M.)
| | - Jonathan Durães
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmanioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, 21040-360 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; (F.G.-A.); (N.P.); (R.A.); (J.D.); (F.N.M.)
| | - Juan Sebastián Arcila-Barrera
- Grupo de Investigación en Hormonas, Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, 111321 Bogotá, Colombia;
| | - Rodrigo C. Menezes
- Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fiocruz, 21040-360 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;
| | - Fernanda N. Morgado
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmanioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, 21040-360 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; (F.G.-A.); (N.P.); (R.A.); (J.D.); (F.N.M.)
| | | | - Adriana Umaña-Pérez
- Grupo de Investigación en Hormonas, Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, 111321 Bogotá, Colombia;
- Correspondence: (A.U.-P.); (P.C.)
| | - Patricia Cuervo
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmanioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, 21040-360 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; (F.G.-A.); (N.P.); (R.A.); (J.D.); (F.N.M.)
- Correspondence: (A.U.-P.); (P.C.)
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Trigo BB, Oliveira-Rovai FMD, Milanesi M, Ito PKRK, Utsunomiya YT, Lopes FL, Paulan SDC, Nunes CM. In silico and in vitro evaluation of primers for molecular differentiation of Leishmania species. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 30:e022020. [PMID: 33729316 DOI: 10.1590/s1984-296120201078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a zoonotic disease caused by over 20 species of protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. Infection is commonly spread by sandflies and produces a wide spectrum of clinical signs and symptoms. Therefore, from an epidemiological and therapeutic standpoint, it is important to detect and differentiate Leishmania spp. The objective of this study was to combinate in silico and in vitro strategies to evaluate the analytical specificity of primers previously described in the literature. According to electronic PCR (e-PCR) analysis, 23 out of 141 pairs of primers selected through literature search matched their previously reported analytical specificity. In vitro evaluation of nine of these primer pairs by quantitative PCR (qPCR) confirmed the analytical specificity of five of them at the level of Leishmania spp., L. mexicana complex or Leishmania and Viannia subgenera. Based on these findings, the combination of e-PCR and qPCR is suggested to be a valuable approach to maximize the specificity of new primer pairs for the laboratory diagnosis of infections with Leishmania spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Batista Trigo
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Araçatuba, SP, Brasil
| | | | - Marco Milanesi
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Araçatuba, SP, Brasil.,Centro Colaborador da Agência Internacional de Energia Atômica - IAEA em Genômica Animal e Bioinformática, Araçatuba, SP, Brasil
| | | | - Yuri Tani Utsunomiya
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Araçatuba, SP, Brasil.,Centro Colaborador da Agência Internacional de Energia Atômica - IAEA em Genômica Animal e Bioinformática, Araçatuba, SP, Brasil
| | - Flávia Lombardi Lopes
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Araçatuba, SP, Brasil
| | - Silvana de Cássia Paulan
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Araçatuba, SP, Brasil
| | - Cáris Maroni Nunes
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Araçatuba, SP, Brasil
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Fayaz S, Fard-Esfahani P, Bahrami F, Parvizi P, Ajdary S. High resolution melting assay in discrimination of the main etiologic agents of leishmaniasis in Iran. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY 2021; 13:137-144. [PMID: 33889373 PMCID: PMC8043822 DOI: 10.18502/ijm.v13i1.5505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The three old world Leishmania species i.e., L. major, L. tropica, and L. infantum are considered as potential etiological agents of the various clinical forms of leishmaniasis in Iran. Different species co-exist in some areas. Accurate differentiation between the species is essential for choosing an appropriate therapy. Conventional and gold standard methods for the detection and characterization of parasites are time-consuming, laborious, and have low sensitivity. A polymerase chain reaction followed by high resolution melting (PCR-HRM) analysis has been employed for detection and species identification. Most of the studies suffer from the use of multiple targets and/or requiring more than one reaction to identify a single sample. The present study aimed to design a PCR method based on the amplification of kinetoplast DNA minicircles (kDNA) and HRM analysis of the amplicons for rapid discrimination of the three mentioned species. Materials and Methods: DNA from reference strains including L. major, L. tropica, and L. infantum and fifty-eight strains subjected to PCR-HRM analysis targeting kDNA. All the samples were also analyzed by conventional kDNA-PCR. Results: The PCR-HRM analysis allowed discrimination between the three Old World species. The normalized HRM curves for the amplicons of kDNA indicated a unique and repeatable melting plot for each species, even in combination with human and mouse genomic DNA. Conventional kDNA-PCR could not properly discriminate L. tropica from L. infantum. Conclusion: PCR-HRM analysis of kDNA proved to be fast and accurate for discrimination of L. major, L. tropica, and L. infantum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shima Fayaz
- Department of Biochemistry, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Fariborz Bahrami
- Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parviz Parvizi
- Department of Parasitology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Soheila Ajdary
- Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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Ferreira LDL, de Araújo FF, Martinelli PM, Teixeira-Carvalho A, Alves-Silva J, Guarneri AA. New features on the survival of human-infective Trypanosoma rangeli in a murine model: Parasite accumulation is observed in lymphoid organs. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0009015. [PMID: 33370305 PMCID: PMC7793305 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma rangeli is a non-pathogenic protozoan parasite that infects mammals, including humans, in Chagas disease-endemic areas of South and Central America. The parasite is transmitted to a mammalian host when an infected triatomine injects metacyclic trypomastigotes into the host's skin during a bloodmeal. Infected mammals behave as parasite reservoirs for several months and despite intensive research, some major aspects of T. rangeli-vertebrate interactions are still poorly understood. In particular, many questions still remain unanswered, e.g. parasite survival and development inside vertebrates, as no parasite multiplication sites have yet been identified. The present study used an insect bite transmission strategy to investigate whether the vector inoculation spot in the skin behave as a parasite-replication site. Histological data from the skin identified extracellular parasites in the dermis and hypodermis of infected mice in the first 24 hours post-infection, as well as the presence of inflammatory infiltrates in a period of up to 7 days. However, qPCR analyses demonstrated that T. rangeli is eliminated from the skin after 7 days of infection despite being still consistently found on circulating blood and secondary lymphoid tissues for up to 30 days post-infection. Interestingly, significant numbers of parasites were found in the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes of infected mice during different periods of infection and steady basal numbers of flagellates are maintained in the host's bloodstream, which might behave as a transmission source to insect vectors. The presence of parasites in the spleen was confirmed by fluorescent photomicrography of free and cell-associated T. rangeli forms. Altogether our results suggest that this organ could possibly behave as a T. rangeli maintenance hotspot in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana de Lima Ferreira
- Vector Behavior and Pathogen Interaction Group, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Fortes de Araújo
- Integrated Research Group in Biomarkers, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Patricia Massara Martinelli
- Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Andrea Teixeira-Carvalho
- Integrated Research Group in Biomarkers, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Juliana Alves-Silva
- Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Alessandra Aparecida Guarneri
- Vector Behavior and Pathogen Interaction Group, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Differentiation of Leishmania ( L.) infantum, Leishmania ( L.) amazonensis and Leishmania ( L.) mexicana Using Sequential qPCR Assays and High-Resolution Melt Analysis. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8060818. [PMID: 32486117 PMCID: PMC7355826 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8060818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmania protozoa are the etiological agents of visceral, cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. In specific geographical regions, such as Latin America, several Leishmania species are endemic and simultaneously present; therefore, a diagnostic method for species discrimination is warranted. In this attempt, many qPCR-based assays have been developed. Recently, we have shown that L. (L.) infantum and L. (L.) amazonensis can be distinguished through the comparison of the Cq values from two qPCR assays (qPCR-ML and qPCR-ama), designed to amplify kDNA minicircle subclasses more represented in L. (L.) infantum and L. (L.) amazonensis, respectively. This paper describes the application of this approach to L. (L.) mexicana and introduces a new qPCR-ITS1 assay followed by high-resolution melt (HRM) analysis to differentiate this species from L. (L.) amazonensis. We show that L. (L.) mexicana can be distinguished from L. (L.) infantum using the same approach we had previously validated for L. (L.) amazonensis. Moreover, it was also possible to reliably discriminate L. (L.) mexicana from L. (L.) amazonensis by using qPCR-ITS1 followed by an HRM analysis. Therefore, a diagnostic algorithm based on sequential qPCR assays coupled with HRM analysis was established to identify/differentiate L. (L.) infantum, L. (L.) amazonensis, L. (L.) mexicana and Viannia subgenus. These findings update and extend previous data published by our research group, providing an additional diagnostic tool in endemic areas with co-existing species.
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Caldas S, Marcelino AP, Faria G, de Oliveira Silva F, Ataide ACZ, Cunha LM, Bahia MT, Paz GF, Gontijo CMF. Visceral leishmaniasis: a practical strategy for quantitative molecular diagnosis in naturally infected dogs. Parasitol Res 2020; 119:1683-1690. [PMID: 32285265 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06654-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) has been a problem for public health services due to the variety of clinical signs similar to other diseases and low sensitivity and specificity of available tests. In this sense, our main objective was to develop a simple, rapid, and accurate quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) diagnosis for CVL. Thus, low-invasive samples from bone marrow (BM), popliteal lymph nodes (PLN), and conjunctival swabs (CS) were selected from negative and VL-positive dogs, using as gold standard, immunological and parasitological tests performed with different tissues. Oligonucleotides for Leishmania infantum kDNA were designed and the limit of quantification and amplification efficiency of the qPCR were determined using tissue-specific standards produced with DNA from those different tissues, mixed with DNA from a known amount of L. infantum promastigotes. Endogenous control was used to validate a comparative Ct method, and tissue parasite concentrations were estimated by comparison with tissue-specific reference standard samples. The overall analysis of the qPCR data suggests the following ranking for tissue choice: PLN > BM > CS. Finally, we have concluded that this molecular approach simplifies and accelerates the quantitative diagnostic process because it is easy to perform, requiring no DNA dosing or standard curve application, and it shows good diagnostic parameters, especially when using popliteal lymph node samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sérgio Caldas
- Serviço de Biotecnologia e Saúde, Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
| | - Andreza P Marcelino
- Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fiocruz-RJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Gilson Faria
- Serviço de Biotecnologia e Saúde, Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Fernanda de Oliveira Silva
- Serviço de Biotecnologia e Saúde, Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Ana Caroline Zampiroli Ataide
- Serviço de Biotecnologia e Saúde, Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Lucas Maciel Cunha
- Serviço de Biotecnologia e Saúde, Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Maria Terezinha Bahia
- Laboratório de Doenças Parasitárias, Escola de Medicina & Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
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Galluzzi L, Ceccarelli M, Diotallevi A, Menotta M, Magnani M. Real-time PCR applications for diagnosis of leishmaniasis. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:273. [PMID: 29716641 PMCID: PMC5930967 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-2859-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease caused by many Leishmania species, which can infect both humans and other mammals. Leishmaniasis is a complex disease, with heterogeneous clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic infections to lesions at cutaneous sites (cutaneous leishmaniasis), mucosal sites (mucocutaneous leishmaniasis) or in visceral organs (visceral leishmaniasis), depending on the species and host characteristics. Often, symptoms are inconclusive and leishmaniasis can be confused with other co-endemic diseases. Moreover, co-infections (mainly with HIV in humans) can produce atypical clinical presentations. A correct diagnosis is crucial to apply the appropriate treatment and the use of molecular techniques in diagnosis of leishmaniasis has become increasingly relevant due to their remarkable sensitivity, specificity and possible application to a variety of clinical samples. Among them, real-time PCR (qPCR)-based approaches have become increasingly popular in the last years not only for detection and quantification of Leishmania species but also for species identification. However, despite qPCR-based methods having proven to be very effective in the diagnosis of leishmaniasis, a standardized method does not exist. This review summarizes the qPCR-based methods in the diagnosis of leishmaniasis focusing on the recent developments and applications in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Galluzzi
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, via Saffi 2, 61029 Urbino, PU Italy
| | - Marcello Ceccarelli
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, via Saffi 2, 61029 Urbino, PU Italy
| | - Aurora Diotallevi
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, via Saffi 2, 61029 Urbino, PU Italy
| | - Michele Menotta
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, via Saffi 2, 61029 Urbino, PU Italy
| | - Mauro Magnani
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, via Saffi 2, 61029 Urbino, PU Italy
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The use of kDNA minicircle subclass relative abundance to differentiate between Leishmania (L.) infantum and Leishmania (L.) amazonensis. Parasit Vectors 2017; 10:239. [PMID: 28511704 PMCID: PMC5434583 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2181-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 05/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease caused by many Leishmania species, belonging to subgenera Leishmania (Leishmania) and Leishmania (Viannia). Several qPCR-based molecular diagnostic approaches have been reported for detection and quantification of Leishmania species. Many of these approaches use the kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) minicircles as the target sequence. These assays had potential cross-species amplification, due to sequence similarity between Leishmania species. Previous works demonstrated discrimination between L. (Leishmania) and L. (Viannia) by SYBR green-based qPCR assays designed on kDNA, followed by melting or high-resolution melt (HRM) analysis. Importantly, these approaches cannot fully distinguish L. (L.) infantum from L. (L.) amazonensis, which can coexist in the same geographical area. METHODS DNA from 18 strains/isolates of L. (L.) infantum, L. (L.) amazonensis, L. (V.) braziliensis, L. (V.) panamensis, L. (V.) guyanensis, and 62 clinical samples from L. (L.) infantum-infected dogs were amplified by a previously developed qPCR (qPCR-ML) and subjected to HRM analysis; selected PCR products were sequenced using an ABI PRISM 310 Genetic Analyzer. Based on the obtained sequences, a new SYBR-green qPCR assay (qPCR-ama) intended to amplify a minicircle subclass more abundant in L. (L.) amazonensis was designed. RESULTS The qPCR-ML followed by HRM analysis did not allow discrimination between L. (L.) amazonensis and L. (L.) infantum in 53.4% of cases. Hence, the novel SYBR green-based qPCR (qPCR-ama) has been tested. This assay achieved a detection limit of 0.1 pg of parasite DNA in samples spiked with host DNA and did not show cross amplification with Trypanosoma cruzi or host DNA. Although the qPCR-ama also amplified L. (L.) infantum strains, the Cq values were dramatically increased compared to qPCR-ML. Therefore, the combined analysis of Cq values from qPCR-ML and qPCR-ama allowed to distinguish L. (L.) infantum and L. (L.) amazonensis in 100% of tested samples. CONCLUSIONS A new and affordable SYBR-green qPCR-based approach to distinguish between L. (L.) infantum and L. (L.) amazonensis was developed exploiting the major abundance of a minicircle sequence rather than targeting a hypothetical species-specific sequence. The fast and accurate discrimination between these species can be useful to provide adequate prognosis and treatment.
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Losada-Barragán M, Umaña-Pérez A, Cuervo-Escobar S, Berbert LR, Porrozzi R, Morgado FN, Mendes-da-Cruz DA, Savino W, Sánchez-Gómez M, Cuervo P. Protein malnutrition promotes dysregulation of molecules involved in T cell migration in the thymus of mice infected with Leishmania infantum. Sci Rep 2017; 7:45991. [PMID: 28397794 PMCID: PMC5387407 DOI: 10.1038/srep45991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein malnutrition, the most deleterious cause of malnutrition in developing countries, has been considered a primary risk factor for the development of clinical visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Protein malnutrition and infection with Leishmania infantum leads to lymphoid tissue disorganization, including changes in cellularity and lymphocyte subpopulations in the thymus and spleen. Here we report that protein malnutrition modifies thymic chemotactic factors by diminishing the CCL5, CXCL12, IGF1, CXCL9 and CXCL10 protein levels in infected animals. Nevertheless, T cells preserve their migratory capability, as they were able to migrate ex vivo in response to chemotactic stimuli, indicating that malnutrition may compromise the thymic microenvironment and alter in vivo thymocyte migration. Decrease in chemotactic factors protein levels was accompanied by an early increase in the parasite load of the spleen. These results suggest that the precondition of malnutrition is affecting the cell-mediated immune response to L. infantum by altering T cell migration and interfering with the capacity of protein-deprived animals to control parasite spreading and proliferation. Our data provide evidence for a disturbance of T lymphocyte migration involving both central and peripheral T-cells, which likely contribute to the pathophysiology of VL that occurs in malnourished individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Losada-Barragán
- Laboratório de Pesquisas em Leishmaniose, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Adriana Umaña-Pérez
- Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Facultad de Ciencias, Grupo de Investigación en Hormonas, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Sergio Cuervo-Escobar
- Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Facultad de Ciencias, Grupo de Investigación en Hormonas, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Luiz Ricardo Berbert
- Laboratório de Pesquisas sobre o Timo, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Renato Porrozzi
- Laboratório de Pesquisas em Leishmaniose, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Fernanda N Morgado
- Laboratório de Pesquisas em Leishmaniose, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | | | - Wilson Savino
- Laboratório de Pesquisas sobre o Timo, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Myriam Sánchez-Gómez
- Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Facultad de Ciencias, Grupo de Investigación en Hormonas, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Patricia Cuervo
- Laboratório de Pesquisas em Leishmaniose, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
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