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Anuntasomboon P, Siripattanapipong S, Unajak S, Choowongkomon K, Burchmore R, Leelayoova S, Mungthin M, E-Kobon T. Identification of a unique conserved region from a kinetoplastid genome of Leishmania orientalis (formerly named Leishmania siamensis) strain PCM2 in Thailand. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19644. [PMID: 37950023 PMCID: PMC10638283 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46638-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) appear in almost all eukaryotic species and are useful molecular markers for phylogenetic studies and species identification. Kinetoplast DNAs (kDNAs) are structurally complex circular mtDNA networks in kinetoplastids, divided into maxicircles and minicircles. Despite several kDNAs of many Leishmania species being examined, the kDNAs of the new species, Leishmania orientalis (formerly named Leishmania siamensis) strain PCM2, have not been explored. This study aimed to investigate the maxicircle and minicircle DNAs of L. orientalis strain PCM2 using hybrid genome sequencing technologies and bioinformatic analyses. The kDNA sequences were isolated and assembled using the SPAdes hybrid assembler from the Illumina short-read and PacBio long-read data. Circular contigs of the maxicircle and minicircle DNAs were reconstructed and confirmed by BLASTn and rKOMICs programs. The kDNA genome was annotated by BLASTn before the genome comparison and phylogenetic analysis by progressiveMauve, MAFFT, and MEGA programs. The maxicircle of L. orientalis strain PCM2 (18,215 bp) showed 99.92% similarity and gene arrangement to Leishmania enriettii strain LEM3045 maxicircle with variation in the 12s rRNA gene and divergent region. Phylogenetics of the whole sequence, coding regions, divergent regions, and 12s rRNA gene also confirmed this relationship and subgenera separation. The identified 105 classes of minicircles (402-1177 bp) were clustered monophyletically and related to the Leishmania donovani minicircles. The kinetoplast maxicircle and minicircle DNAs of L. orientalis strain PCM2 contained a unique conserved region potentially useful for specific diagnosis of L. orientalis and further exploration of this parasite population genetics in Thailand and related regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pornchai Anuntasomboon
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Omics Center for Agriculture, Bioresources, Food, and Health, Kasetsart University (OmiKU), Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Sasimanas Unajak
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Richard Burchmore
- Glasgow Polyomics, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Saovanee Leelayoova
- Department of Parasitology, Phramongkutklao College of Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Mathirut Mungthin
- Department of Parasitology, Phramongkutklao College of Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Teerasak E-Kobon
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand.
- Omics Center for Agriculture, Bioresources, Food, and Health, Kasetsart University (OmiKU), Bangkok, Thailand.
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Bhattacharya P, Ismail N, Saxena A, Gannavaram S, Dey R, Oljuskin T, Akue A, Takeda K, Yu J, Karmakar S, Dagur PK, McCoy JP, Nakhasi HL. Neutrophil-dendritic cell interaction plays an important role in live attenuated Leishmania vaccine induced immunity. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010224. [PMID: 35192633 PMCID: PMC8896671 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Neutrophils are involved in the initial host responses to pathogens. Neutrophils can activate T cell responses either independently or through indirect involvement of Dendritic cells (DCs). Recently we have demonstrated direct neutrophil-T cell interactions that initiate adaptive immune responses following immunization with live attenuated Leishmania donovani centrin deleted parasite vaccine (LdCen-/-). However, neutrophil-DC interactions in T cell priming in vaccine immunity in general are not known. In this study we evaluated the interaction between neutrophils and DCs during LdCen-/- infection and compared with wild type parasite (LdWT) both in vitro and in vivo. Methodology/findings LdCen-/- parasite induced increased expression of CCL3 in neutrophils caused higher recruitment of DCs capable of inducing a strong proinflammatory response and elevated co-stimulatory molecule expression compared to LdWT infection. To further illustrate neutrophil-DCs interactions in vivo, we infected LYS-eGFP mice with red fluorescent LdWT/LdCen-/- parasites and sort selected DCs that engulfed the neutrophil containing parasites or DCs that acquired the parasites directly in the ear draining lymph nodes (dLN) 5d post infection. The DCs predominantly acquired the parasites by phagocytosing infected neutrophils. Specifically, DCs containing LdCen-/- parasitized neutrophils exhibited a proinflammatory phenotype, increased expression of costimulatory molecules and initiated higher CD4+T cell priming ex-vivo. Notably, potent DC activation occurred when LdCen-/- parasites were acquired indirectly via engulfment of parasitized neutrophils compared to direct engulfment of LdCen-/- parasites by DCs. Neutrophil depletion in LdCen-/- infected mice significantly abrogated expression of CCL3 resulting in decreased DC recruitment in ear dLN. This event led to poor CD4+Th1 cell priming ex vivo that correlated with attenuated Tbet expression in ear dLN derived CD4+ T cells in vivo. Conclusions Collectively, LdCen-/- containing neutrophils phagocytized by DC markedly influence the phenotype and antigen presenting capacity of DCs early on and thus play an immune-regulatory role in shaping vaccine induced host protective response. Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL), caused by the protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania is a neglected tropical disease. Leishmania donovani is the principal causative agent of VL in East Africa and the Indian subcontinent whereas in Europe, North Africa, and Latin America VL is mainly caused by Leishmania infantum. No licensed vaccine exists against VL. We have reported previously that live attenuated centrin gene-deleted L. donovani (LdCen-/-) parasite vaccine induced strong innate immunity which leads to a protective Th1 response in animal models. We recently demonstrated that neutrophils play an indispensable role following immunization with LdCen-/- parasites in inducing protective Th1 immune response. However, neutrophils also secrete chemokines that attract other innate cells such as dendritic cells and regulate their activities. In the current study we analyzed the interplay between neutrophils and DCs, and its effects on T cell activation during LdCen-/- infection and compared with wild type parasite (LdWT) infection. We observed that higher recruitment of DCs occurred in LdCen-/- infected mice ear draining lymph nodes compared to LdWT. This recruitment is facilitated by increased secretion of the chemokine CCL3 by neutrophils. A markedly decreased DC recruitment was observed in LdCen-/- infected mice following CCL3 neutralization indicating the key role of neutrophils in DC recruitment. Further, we demonstrated that DCs that ingest LdCen-/- infected neutrophils are better activated than those that acquire the parasites independent of neutrophils. Notably neutrophil depletion in LdCen-/- infected mice also attenuated activation of DCs in the ear dLN that resulted in poor CD4+T cell priming. Our results reveal that interaction between neutrophils and DCs play an important role in shaping proinflammatory immune response induced by a live attenuated Leishmania vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parna Bhattacharya
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Disease, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (PB); (HLN)
| | - Nevien Ismail
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Disease, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Ankit Saxena
- Flow Cytometry Core, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Sreenivas Gannavaram
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Disease, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Ranadhir Dey
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Disease, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Timur Oljuskin
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Disease, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Adovi Akue
- Division of Bacterial, Parasitic, and Allergenic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kazuyo Takeda
- Division of Blood Components and Devices, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - James Yu
- Division of Blood Components and Devices, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Subir Karmakar
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Disease, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Pradeep K. Dagur
- Flow Cytometry Core, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - John Philip McCoy
- Flow Cytometry Core, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Hira L. Nakhasi
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Disease, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (PB); (HLN)
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A novel Trypanosoma cruzi secreted antigen as a potential biomarker of Chagas disease. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19591. [PMID: 33177582 PMCID: PMC7658208 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76508-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Chagas drug discovery has been hampered by a lack of validated assays to establish treatment efficacy in pre-clinical animal models and in patients infected with T. cruzi. Reduced levels of parasite secreted antigens in the blood of infected hosts could be used to demonstrate treatment efficacy. A published proteomic study of parasite secreted antigens identified the hypothetical protein Tc_5171 as a secreted antigen. In this report, we developed Tc_5171 specific antibodies and showed that the native protein was expressed by the three life cycle stages of the parasite. Anti-peptide antibodies were able to detect the parasite antigen in blood of infected mice during the acute and the chronic phase of infection. Benznidazole treatment of infected mice significantly reduced their blood antigen levels. Of clinical significance, patients diagnosed with Chagas disease, either asymptomatic or with cardiac clinical symptoms had significantly higher Tc_5171 antigen levels compared to endemic controls. Pair-wise analysis, before and after Benznidazole treatment, of patients with asymptomatic Chagas disease showed a significant reduction in antigen levels post treatment. Taken together, our results indicate that Tc_5171 could be used as a novel biomarker of Chagas disease for diagnosis and to assess treatment efficacy.
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Ahuja K, Vats A, Beg MA, Kariyawasam KKGDUL, Chaudhury A, Chatterjee M, Karunaweera ND, Selvapandiyan A. High resolution melting based method for rapid discriminatory diagnosis of co-infecting Leptomonas seymouri in Leishmania donovani-induced leishmaniasis. Parasitol Int 2019; 75:102047. [PMID: 31887394 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2019.102047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Leishmania donovani, a protozoan parasite of family Trypanosomatidae, causes fatal visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Indian subcontinent and Africa and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Sri Lanka. Another member of Trypanosomatidae, Leptomonas seymouri, resembling Leishmania was discovered recently to co-exist with L. donovani in the clinical samples from India and Sri Lanka and therefore, interfere with its investigations. We earlier described a method for selective elimination of such co-existing L. seymouri from clinical samples of VL exploiting the differential growth of the parasites at 37 °C in vitro. Here, we explored ways for a rapid discriminatory diagnosis using high resolution melting (HRM) curves to detect co-occurring L. seymouri with L. donovani in clinical samples. Initial attempt with kDNA-minicircle (mitochondrial DNA) based HRM did not display different Tm values between L. donovani and L. seymouri. Surprisingly, all of their minicircle sequences co-existed in similar clades in the dendrogram analysis, although the kDNA sequences are known for its species and strain specific variations among the Trypanosomatids. However, an HRM analysis that targets the HSP70 gene successfully recognized the presence of L. seymouri in the clinical isolates. This discovery will facilitate rapid diagnosis of L. seymouri and further investigations in to this elusive organism, including the clinico-pathological implications of its co-existence with L. donovani in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kavita Ahuja
- JH-Institute of Molecular Medicine, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 110062, India; Department of Bio & Nano Technology, Bio & Nano Technology Centre, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar 125001, India
| | - Abhishek Vats
- Department of Research, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi 110060, India
| | - Mirza Adil Beg
- JH-Institute of Molecular Medicine, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 110062, India
| | - K K G D U L Kariyawasam
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo 00800, Sri Lanka
| | - Ashok Chaudhury
- Department of Bio & Nano Technology, Bio & Nano Technology Centre, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar 125001, India
| | - Mitali Chatterjee
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, Kolkata 700020, India
| | - Nadira D Karunaweera
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo 00800, Sri Lanka
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Characterization of Transplasma Membrane Electron Transport Chain in Wild and Drug-Resistant Leishmania donovani Promastigote and Amastigote. Acta Parasitol 2019; 64:710-719. [PMID: 30941668 DOI: 10.2478/s11686-019-00050-y] [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: 12/15/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Leishmania donovani (L. donovani) is one of the parasites that cause leishmaniasis. The mechanisms by which L. donovani fights against adverse environment and becomes resistant to drugs are not well understood yet. OBJECTIVE The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of different regulators on the modulation of Transplasma Membrane Electron Transport (transPMET) systems of susceptible and resistant L. donovani cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS Effects of UV, different buffers, and electron transport inhibitors and stimulators on the reduction of α-lipoic acid (ALA), 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulphonic acid (NQSA) and ferricyanide were determined. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ALA reductions were inhibited in susceptible, sodium antimony gluconate (SAG)-resistant and paromomycin (PMM)-resistant AG83 amastigote cells, and stimulated in susceptible and SAG-resistant AG83 promastigote cells upon UV exposure. The results indicate that UV irradiation almost oppositely affect ALA reductions in amastigotes and promastigotes. ALA reductions were stimulated in sensitive and inhibited in resistant GE1 amastigotes upon UV exposure. Susceptible amastigotes and promastigotes inhibited, and resistant amastigotes and promastigotes stimulated NQSA reduction under UV irradiation. Thus, susceptible and drug-resistant amastigotes and promastigotes are different in the reduction of ALA. Susceptible and resistant AG83 amastigotes and promastigotes inhibited the ferricyanide reductions upon UV exposure, which indicates, there is no such difference in ferricyanide reductions among susceptible as well as resistant AG83 amastigotes and promastigotes. The reductions of extracellular electron excerptors in susceptible promastigotes requires the availability of Na+ and Cl- ions for maximal activity but susceptible amastigotes are mostly not dependent on the availability of Na+ and Cl- ions. Both in promastigotes and amastigotes, reductions of electron acceptors were strongly inhibited by carbonyl cyanide p-(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone. Furthermore, antimycin A, rotenone and capsaicin markedly inhibited the reductions of electron acceptors in promastigotes, but not in amastigotes. CONCLUSION Results of this study suggest that the transPMET system is functionally different in wild and resistant strains of L. donovani.
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Gannavaram S, Bhattacharya P, Siddiqui A, Ismail N, Madhavan S, Nakhasi HL. miR-21 Expression Determines the Early Vaccine Immunity Induced by LdCen -/- Immunization. Front Immunol 2019; 10:2273. [PMID: 31608064 PMCID: PMC6769120 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
No vaccine exists against visceral leishmaniasis. Toward developing vaccines against VL, we have reported previously on the immunogenicity of live attenuated LdCen -/- parasites in animal models. Immunization with LdCen -/- parasites has been shown to induce durable protective immunity in pre-clinical animal models. Although the innate immune responses favoring a Th1 type immunity are produced following LdCen -/- immunization, the molecular determinants of such responses remain unknown. To identify early biomarkers of immunogenicity associated with live attenuated parasitic vaccines, we infected macrophages derived from healthy human blood donors with LdCen -/- or LdWT parasites ex vivo and compared the early gene expression profiles. In addition to altered expression of immune related genes, we identified several microRNAs that regulate important cytokine genes, significantly altered in LdCen -/- infection compared to LdWT infection. Importantly, we found that LdCen -/- infection suppresses the expression of microRNA-21 (miR-21) in human macrophages, which negatively regulates IL12, compared to LdWT infection. In murine DC experiments, LdCen -/- infection showed a reduced miR-21 expression with a concomitant induction of IL12. Silencing of miR-21 using specific inhibitors resulted in an augmented induction of IL12 in LdWT infected BMDCs, illustrating the role of miR-21 in LdWT mediated suppression of IL12. Further, exosomes isolated from LdCen -/- infected DCs contained significantly reduced levels of miR-21 compared to LdWT infection, that promoted proliferation of CD4+ T cells in vitro. Similar miR-21 mediated IL12 regulation was also observed in ex vivo human macrophage infection experiments indicating that miR-21 plays a role in early IL12 mediated immunity. Our studies demonstrate that LdCen -/- infection suppresses miR-21 expression, enables IL12 mediated induction of adaptive immunity including proliferation of antigen experienced CD4+ T cells and development of a Th1 immunity, and suggest that miR-21 could be an important biomarker for LdCen -/- vaccine immunity in human clinical trials. One Sentence Summary Role of miR-21 in vaccine induced immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sreenivas Gannavaram
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Parna Bhattacharya
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Abid Siddiqui
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Nevien Ismail
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Subha Madhavan
- Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Hira L Nakhasi
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
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Ahuja K, Beg MA, Sharma R, Saxena A, Naqvi N, Puri N, Rai PK, Chaudhury A, Duncan R, Salotra P, Nakhasi H, Selvapandiyan A. A novel signal sequence negative multimeric glycosomal protein required for cell cycle progression of Leishmania donovani parasites. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2018; 1865:1148-1159. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2018.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2018] [Revised: 04/28/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Kariyawasam UL, Selvapandiyan A, Rai K, Wani TH, Ahuja K, Beg MA, Premathilake HU, Bhattarai NR, Siriwardena YD, Zhong D, Zhou G, Rijal S, Nakhasi H, Karunaweera ND. Genetic diversity of Leishmania donovani that causes cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka: a cross sectional study with regional comparisons. BMC Infect Dis 2017; 17:791. [PMID: 29273010 PMCID: PMC5741890 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-017-2883-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Leishmania donovani is the etiological agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Indian subcontinent. However, it is also known to cause cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan L. donovani differs from other L. donovani strains, both at the molecular and biochemical level. To investigate the different species or strain-specific differences of L. donovani in Sri Lanka we evaluated sequence variation of the kinetoplastid DNA (kDNA). METHODS Parasites isolated from skin lesions of 34 CL patients and bone marrow aspirates from 4 VL patients were genotyped using the kDNA minicircle PCR analysis. A total of 301 minicircle sequences that included sequences from Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and six reference species of Leishmania were analyzed. RESULTS Haplotype diversity of Sri Lankan isolates were high (H d = 0.757) with strong inter-geographical genetic differentiation (F ST > 0.25). In this study, L. donovani isolates clustered according to their geographic origin, while Sri Lankan isolates formed a separate cluster and were clearly distinct from other Leishmania species. Within the Sri Lankan group, there were three distinct sub-clusters formed, from CL patients who responded to standard antimony therapy, CL patients who responded poorly to antimony therapy and from VL patients. There was no specific clustering of sequences based on geographical origin within Sri Lanka. CONCLUSION This study reveals high levels of haplotype diversity of L. donovani in Sri Lanka with a distinct genetic association with clinically relevant phenotypic characteristics. The use of genetic tools to identify clinically relevant features of Leishmania parasites has important therapeutic implications for leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Udeshika Lakmini Kariyawasam
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo, 8 Sri Lanka
| | | | - Keshav Rai
- Department of Microbiology, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
| | | | - Kavita Ahuja
- JH-Institute of Molecular Medicine, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
| | - Mizra Adil Beg
- JH-Institute of Molecular Medicine, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Narayan Raj Bhattarai
- Department of Microbiology, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
| | - Yamuna Deepani Siriwardena
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo, 8 Sri Lanka
| | - Daibin Zhong
- University of California Irvine, College of Health Sciences, Irvine, CA USA
| | - Guofa Zhou
- University of California Irvine, College of Health Sciences, Irvine, CA USA
| | - Suman Rijal
- Department of Microbiology, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
| | - Hira Nakhasi
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, USA
| | - Nadira D. Karunaweera
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo, 8 Sri Lanka
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Grigorenko E, Fisher C, Patel S, Winkelman V, Williamson P, Chancey C, Añez G, Rios M, Majam V, Kumar S, Duncan R. Highly Multiplex Real-Time PCR–Based Screening for Blood-Borne Pathogens on an OpenArray Platform. J Mol Diagn 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2017.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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Qureshi NA, Ali A, Rashid U, Ali N. Prevalence of Leishmania tropica in school boys of khyber agency, FATA near Pak-Afghan border. Acta Trop 2016; 164:90-94. [PMID: 27593497 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2016.08.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Revised: 08/06/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In Pakistan leishmaniasis occurs periodically throughout the year and various out breaks are reported frequently. In continuation of our research on this neglected disease, the aim of present study is to explore: (1) the prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in school boys; (2) Leishmania species identification in order to epidemiology and dynamics of the disease; (3) Identification of risk factors for Leishmaniasis especially for CL. The data was collected in August 2014 The experimental strategy involved a questionnaire for data collection and along with clinical diagnosis of 134 out of 9368 students for incidence of Leishmania spp. in 7 square kilometres area in the schoolboys at Tehsil Landi Kotal, District Khyber Agency, FATA Pakistan. The parasitological and molecular diagnosis of clinically suspected cutaneous leishmaniasis cases were performed using microscopical examination of Giemsa-stained smears of lesion exudates and minicircle kDNA semi nested PCR, respectively. Microscopy (x=1000) positive cases were 84/134 (62.6%) and 50/134 (37.4%) slides did not showed any presence of amastigotes of Leishmania spp. The samples were amplified using kDNA semi nested PCR and confirmed the presence of L. Tropica (Ac.no KT 985473). PCR positive cases were 97/134 (72.4%) and 37(27.6%) were negative. The prevalence of L. tropica in school boys was 1.4% (134/9368) in the total population studied (n=9368). The parasite prevalence might be greater as only male students were considered in the study due to ethical and social issues and limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naveeda Akhtar Qureshi
- Department of Animal Sciences, Parasitology Laboratory, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan.
| | - Abid Ali
- Department of Animal Sciences, Parasitology Laboratory, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
| | - Umer Rashid
- Department of Chemistry, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad, 22060, Pakistan
| | - Naeem Ali
- Department of Microbiology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
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Gannavaram S, Bhattacharya P, Dey R, Ismail N, Avishek K, Salotra P, Selvapandiyan A, Satoskar A, Nakhasi HL. Methods to Evaluate the Preclinical Safety and Immunogenicity of Genetically Modified Live-Attenuated Leishmania Parasite Vaccines. Methods Mol Biol 2016; 1403:623-638. [PMID: 27076157 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3387-7_35] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Live-attenuated parasite vaccines are being explored as potential vaccine candidates since other approaches of vaccination have not produced an effective vaccine so far. In order for live-attenuated parasite vaccines to be tested in preclinical studies and possibly in clinical studies, the safety and immunogenicity of these organisms must be rigorously evaluated. Here we describe methods to test persistence in the immunized host and immunogenicity, and to identify biomarkers of vaccine safety and efficacy with particular reference to genetically attenuated Leishmania parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sreenivas Gannavaram
- Laboratory of Emerging Pathogens, Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD, 20993, USA.
| | - Parna Bhattacharya
- Laboratory of Emerging Pathogens, Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD, 20993, USA
| | - Ranadhir Dey
- Laboratory of Emerging Pathogens, Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD, 20993, USA
| | - Nevien Ismail
- Laboratory of Emerging Pathogens, Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD, 20993, USA
| | - Kumar Avishek
- National Institute of Pathology, Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Poonam Salotra
- National Institute of Pathology, Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Angamuthu Selvapandiyan
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, 254 Okhla Industrial Estate Phase 3, New Delhi, 110020, India
| | - Abhay Satoskar
- Departments of Pathology and Microbiology, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Hira L Nakhasi
- Laboratory of Emerging Pathogens, Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD, 20993, USA
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Kassahun A, Sadlova J, Benda P, Kostalova T, Warburg A, Hailu A, Baneth G, Volf P, Votypka J. Natural infection of bats with Leishmania in Ethiopia. Acta Trop 2015; 150:166-70. [PMID: 26232657 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2015.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Revised: 07/24/2015] [Accepted: 07/27/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The leishmaniases, a group of diseases with a worldwide-distribution, are caused by different species of Leishmania parasites. Both cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis remain important public health problems in Ethiopia. Epidemiological cycles of these protozoans involve various sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) vectors and mammalian hosts, including humans. In recent years, Leishmania infections in bats have been reported in the New World countries endemic to leishmaniasis. The aim of this study was to survey natural Leishmania infection in bats collected from various regions of Ethiopia. Total DNA was isolated from spleens of 163 bats belonging to 23 species and 18 genera. Leishmania infection was detected by real-time (RT) PCR targeting a kinetoplast (k) DNA and internal transcribed spacer one (ITS1) gene of the parasite. Detection was confirmed by sequencing of the PCR products. Leishmania kDNA was detected in eight (4.9%) bats; four of them had been captured in the Aba-Roba and Awash-Methara regions that are endemic for leishmaniasis, while the other four specimens originated from non-endemic localities of Metu, Bedele and Masha. Leishmania isolates from two bats were confirmed by ITS1 PCR to be Leishmania tropica and Leishmania major, isolated from two individual bats, Cardioderma cor and Nycteris hispida, respectively. These results represent the first confirmed observation of natural infection of bats with the Old World Leishmania. Hence, bats should be considered putative hosts of Leishmania spp. affecting humans with a significant role in the transmission.
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Kassahun A, Sadlova J, Dvorak V, Kostalova T, Rohousova I, Frynta D, Aghova T, Yasur-Landau D, Lemma W, Hailu A, Baneth G, Warburg A, Volf P, Votypka J. Detection of Leishmania donovani and L. tropica in Ethiopian wild rodents. Acta Trop 2015; 145:39-44. [PMID: 25700710 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2015.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Revised: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 02/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Human visceral (VL, also known as Kala-azar) and cutaneous (CL) leishmaniasis are important infectious diseases affecting countries in East Africa that remain endemic in several regions of Ethiopia. The transmission and epidemiology of the disease is complicated due to the complex life cycle of the parasites and the involvement of various Leishmania spp., sand fly vectors, and reservoir animals besides human hosts. Particularly in East Africa, the role of animals as reservoirs for human VL remains unclear. Isolation of Leishmania donovani parasites from naturally infected rodents has been reported in several endemic countries; however, the status of rodents as reservoirs in Ethiopia remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated natural Leishmania infections in rodents. Animals were trapped in 41 localities of endemic and non-endemic areas in eight geographical regions of Ethiopia and DNA was isolated from spleens of 586 rodents belonging to 21 genera and 38 species. Leishmania infection was evaluated by real-time PCR of kinetoplast (k)DNA and confirmed by sequencing of the PCR products. Subsequently, parasite species identification was confirmed by PCR and DNA sequencing of the 18S ribosomal RNA internal transcribed spacer one (ITS1) gene. Out of fifty (8.2%) rodent specimens positive for Leishmania kDNA-PCR and sequencing, 10 were subsequently identified by sequencing of the ITS1 showing that five belonged to the L. donovani complex and five to L. tropica. Forty nine kDNA-positive rodents were found in the endemic localities of southern and eastern Ethiopia while only one was identified from northwestern Ethiopia. Moreover, all the ten ITS1-positive rodents were captured in areas where human leishmaniasis cases have been reported and potential sand fly vectors occur. Our findings suggest the eco-epidemiological importance of rodents in these foci of leishmaniasis and indicate that rodents are likely to play a role in the transmission of leishmaniasis in Ethiopia, possibly as reservoir hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aysheshm Kassahun
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Jovana Sadlova
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Vit Dvorak
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Tatiana Kostalova
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Iva Rohousova
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Daniel Frynta
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Tatiana Aghova
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 675 02 Studenec 122, Czech Republic.
| | - Daniel Yasur-Landau
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
| | - Wessenseged Lemma
- Department of Zoological Science, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
| | - Asrat Hailu
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 9086, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
| | - Gad Baneth
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
| | - Alon Warburg
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Kuvin Centre for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel.
| | - Petr Volf
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Jan Votypka
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Vinicna 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
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Duncan R. Advancing Molecular Diagnostics for Trypanosomatid Parasites. J Mol Diagn 2014; 16:379-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2014.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2014] [Revised: 04/04/2014] [Accepted: 04/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
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Manhas R, Anand S, Tripathi P, Madhubala R. Deletion of Vitamin C biosynthesis enzyme, Arabino-1, 4-lactone oxidase inLeishmania donovaniresults in increased pro-inflammatory responses from host immune cells. Mol Microbiol 2014; 91:1227-39. [DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Reetika Manhas
- School of Life Sciences; Jawaharlal Nehru University; New Delhi 110067 India
| | - Sneha Anand
- School of Life Sciences; Jawaharlal Nehru University; New Delhi 110067 India
| | - Pankaj Tripathi
- School of Life Sciences; Jawaharlal Nehru University; New Delhi 110067 India
| | - Rentala Madhubala
- School of Life Sciences; Jawaharlal Nehru University; New Delhi 110067 India
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Gama A, Elias J, Ribeiro AJ, Alegria N, Schallig HD, Silva F, Santarém N, Cardoso L, Cotovio M. Cutaneous leishmaniosis in a horse from northern Portugal. Vet Parasitol 2014; 200:189-92. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2013] [Revised: 12/04/2013] [Accepted: 12/06/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Dey R, Dagur PK, Selvapandiyan A, McCoy JP, Salotra P, Duncan R, Nakhasi HL. Live attenuated Leishmania donovani p27 gene knockout parasites are nonpathogenic and elicit long-term protective immunity in BALB/c mice. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2013; 190:2138-49. [PMID: 23338240 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1202801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide, and no vaccines against this disease are available. Previously, we had shown that the amastigote-specific protein p27 (Ldp27) is a component of an active cytochrome c oxidase complex in Leishmania donovani and that upon deletion of its gene the parasite had reduced virulence in vivo. In this study, we have shown that Ldp27(-/-) parasites do not survive beyond 20 wk in BALB/c mice and hence are safe as an immunogen. Upon virulent challenge, mice 12 wk postimmunization showed significantly lower parasite burden in the liver and spleen. When mice were challenged 20 wk postimmunization, a significant reduction in parasite burden was still noted, suggesting long-term protection by Ldp27(-/-) immunization. Immunization with Ldp27(-/-) induced both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine responses and activated splenocytes for enhanced leishmanicidal activity in association with NO production. Protection in both short- and long-term immunized mice after challenge with the wild-type parasite correlated with the stimulation of multifunctional Th1-type CD4 and CD8 T cells. Adoptive transfer of T cells from long-term immunized mice conferred protection against virulent challenge in naive recipient mice, suggesting involvement of memory T cell response in protection against Leishmania infection. Immunization of mice with Ldp27(-/-)also demonstrated cross-protection against Leishmania major and Leishmania braziliensis infection. Our data show that genetically modified live attenuated Ldp27(-/-) parasites are safe, induce protective immunity even in the absence of parasites, and can provide protection against homologous and heterologous Leishmania species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranadhir Dey
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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Ates SC, Bagirova M, Allahverdiyev AM, Baydar SY, Koc RC, Elcicek S, Abamor ES, Oztel ON. Detection of antileishmanial antibodies in blood sampled from blood bank donors in Istanbul. Future Microbiol 2012; 7:773-9. [DOI: 10.2217/fmb.12.46] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aims: According to the WHO, only 5–20% of the total cases of leishmaniasis are symptomatic leishmaniasis; the other cases are identified as asymptomatic leishmaniasis. In recent studies, it has been demonstrated that donor blood plays an important role in the epidemiology of asymptomatic leishmaniasis. However, the number of the studies on this subject is still insufficient. Additionally, donor blood samples obtained from Istanbul, which is the biggest metropolitan area in Turkey, have not been investigated with regard to Leishmania. Moreover, there is no information about the sensitivity of noninvasive serological methods that are used in the detection of leishmaniasis donor blood samples. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the presence of antileishmanial antibodies in blood samples obtained from blood bank donors in Istanbul, by using different serologic methods, and to determine the most sensitive detection method. Materials & methods: Blood samples were taken from 188 healthy blood bank donors to the Capa Turkish Red Crescent Blood Bank (Istanbul, Turkey), and the presence of antileishmanial antibodies was measured by indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT), ELISA, immunochromatographic dipstick rapid test, and western blot (WB). Results: Antileishmanial antibodies were determined in 12 out of 188 samples by IFAT (6.4%), and six out of these 12 donors were found to be positive at diagnostic titer 1:128 (3.2%). One hundred and eighty eight samples were investigated by ELISA and one (0.5%) of them gave a positive result. None of 188 samples provided a positive result by immunochromatographic test. WB applied to the 12 seroreactive donors showed that three out of 12 donors were positive. Conclusion: In this study, the presence of antileishmanial antibodies in blood samples of blood bank donors from Istanbul has been demonstrated by using feasible and low-cost serological methods. Additionally, in comparison with other simple and low-cost detection methods, WB was used for confirmation. IFAT has a higher sensitivity and therefore may be preferred as a prescreening method in endemic or nonendemic areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sezen Canim Ates
- Yildiz Technical University, Bioengineering Department, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Malahat Bagirova
- Yildiz Technical University, Bioengineering Department, Istanbul, Turkey
| | | | | | - Rabia Cakir Koc
- Yildiz Technical University, Bioengineering Department, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Serhat Elcicek
- Firat University, Bioengineering Department, Elazig, Turkey
| | - Emrah Sefik Abamor
- Yildiz Technical University, Bioengineering Department, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Olga Nehir Oztel
- Yildiz Technical University, Bioengineering Department, Istanbul, Turkey
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Azizi K, Moemenbellah-Fard MD, Kalantari M, Fakoorziba MR. Molecular detection of Leishmania major kDNA from wild rodents in a new focus of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in an Oriental region of Iran. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2012; 12:844-50. [PMID: 22651390 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2011.0872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cutaneous leishmaniasis is one of the most challenging public health issues in many tropical and subtropical countries of the world, including Iran. More than half (54%) of the new zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) cases among the Eastern Mediterranean countries were reported from Iran in 2008. The detection of Leishmania parasites in rodents is essential to incriminate them as probable reservoir hosts of ZCL infection. As a result of the annual detection of about 200-250 clinical ZCL cases in the Jask district of southern Iran, feral rodents were trapped, identified to species level, and examined for Leishmania presence by preparing routine blood smears on microscopic slides from 2007 to 2008. Overall, 27 Tatera indica, 17 Gerbillus nanus, 29 Meriones persicus, 26 M. hurrianae, and 7 M. libycus were identified. Females of T. indica, M. hurrianae, and G. nanus appeared to be naturally infected with the protozoan parasite, L. major. This is the first report of microscopic and molecular detection of this trypanosomatid parasite infecting these three rodents reported from Hormozgan province in southeast Iran. More than three-quarters (82%) of the parasite-infected rodents came from the eastern plain of this province, but none of the other rodents were found to be smear-positive or kinetoplast DNA-positive by PCR. M. hurrianae, G. nanus, and T. indica are therefore incriminated as three potential reservoir hosts of L. major in Oriental parts of Iran.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kourosh Azizi
- Department of Medical Entomology, School of Health and Nutrition, Research Centre for Health Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
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Srividya G, Kulshrestha A, Singh R, Salotra P. Diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis: developments over the last decade. Parasitol Res 2011; 110:1065-78. [DOI: 10.1007/s00436-011-2680-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2011] [Accepted: 10/04/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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21
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Immunity to visceral leishmaniasis using genetically defined live-attenuated parasites. J Trop Med 2011; 2012:631460. [PMID: 21912560 PMCID: PMC3168768 DOI: 10.1155/2012/631460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2011] [Accepted: 07/01/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a protozoan parasitic disease endemic to the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, with three major clinical forms, self-healing cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL), and visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Drug treatments are expensive and often result in the development of drug resistance. No vaccine is available against leishmaniasis. Subunit Leishmania vaccine immunization in animal models has shown some efficacy but little or none in humans. However, individuals who recover from natural infection are protected from reinfection and develop life-long protection, suggesting that infection may be a prerequisite for immunological memory. Thus, genetically altered live-attenuated parasites with controlled infectivity could achieve such memory. In this paper, we discuss development and characteristics of genetically altered, live-attenuated Leishmania donovani parasites and their possible use as vaccine candidates against VL. In addition, we discuss the challenges and other considerations in the use of live-attenuated parasites.
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Dey R, Meneses C, Salotra P, Kamhawi S, Nakhasi HL, Duncan R. Characterization of a Leishmania stage-specific mitochondrial membrane protein that enhances the activity of cytochrome c oxidase and its role in virulence. Mol Microbiol 2010; 77:399-414. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07214.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Verma S, Kumar R, Katara GK, Singh LC, Negi NS, Ramesh V, Salotra P. Quantification of parasite load in clinical samples of leishmaniasis patients: IL-10 level correlates with parasite load in visceral leishmaniasis. PLoS One 2010; 5:e10107. [PMID: 20404924 PMCID: PMC2852412 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2010] [Accepted: 03/18/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A rapid and accurate method to detect and quantify Leishmania parasite is urgently needed to facilitate early diagnosis of Leishmaniasis and monitoring of antileishmania therapy. In this study, real-time assay was applied to estimate parasite load in clinical samples of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) patients. The mean parasite load in blood of VL patients (n = 31) was 8,372 parasites/ml, while the mean parasite load in bone marrow aspirate (BMA) was 194,962 parasites/million nucleated cells (n = 12). Parasite load was undetectable after treatment with amphotericin B (n = 9) in VL, while a residual parasite burden was detected in 2 of 6 patients following treatment with sodium antimony gluconate. Further, circulating levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10, IL-6, IL-4 and IL-2 were analysed in VL patients (n = 29) by Cytometric Bead Array to evaluate correlation with parasitic load. Interestingly, IL-10 levels correlated significantly with parasite load (r = 0.82, P<0.0001). The mean parasite load in dermal lesions of PKDL patients was 9,502 parasites/µg tissue DNA at pre-treatment stage (n = 25), with no detectable parasites after therapy (n = 5). Parasite burden was distinctly higher (P<0.0001) in nodular lesions (n = 12) (19,586 parasites/µg tissue DNA) compared to papular/macular lesions (n = 13, 193 parasites/µg tissue DNA). Further, chronic PKDL lesions showed significantly (P = 0.0166) higher parasite load in comparison with acute lesions. Results indicate that chronic, nodular cases constitute the major parasite reservoir for anthroponotic transmission. Our results establish that the high parasite load in VL is strongly correlated with a high level of IL-10, implicating IL-10 as a marker of disease severity. The assay is applicable for diagnosis as well as prognosis of both VL and PKDL, providing a simple molecular tool to monitor the efficacy of antileishmanial drugs or vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Verma
- Institute of Pathology (ICMR), Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, India
| | - Rajesh Kumar
- Institute of Pathology (ICMR), Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, India
| | | | | | | | - V. Ramesh
- Department of Dermatology, Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India
| | - Poonam Salotra
- Institute of Pathology (ICMR), Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, India
- * E-mail:
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Kang SJ, Park KH, Jung SI, Jang HC, Ji SY, Ahn JS, Kim HJ, Shin JH, Kim DM. Scrub typhus induced by peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in the immunocompromised patient: diagnostic usefulness of nested polymerase chain reaction. Transfusion 2009; 50:467-70. [PMID: 19843286 DOI: 10.1111/j.1537-2995.2009.02442.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Scrub typhus (Orientia tsutsugamushi) is a Gram-negative rickettsial disease in parts of Asia, transmitted from wild rodents to human by mites. This is a case report of scrub typhus contraction in an acute leukemia patient by transfusion of peripheral blood stem cells collected during the incubation period. Although human-to-human transmission of scrub typhus by needle-stick injury or transplacental transmission has previously been reported, this is the first case confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing. This type of incident shows the need to heighten awareness of the threat of rickettsial agents in transfused blood. Nested PCR is a useful diagnostic method to confirm the diagnosis during incubation period and in the early phase of disease, especially for immunocompromised patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung-Ji Kang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea
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Selvapandiyan A, Dey R, Nylen S, Duncan R, Sacks D, Nakhasi HL. Intracellular replication-deficient Leishmania donovani induces long lasting protective immunity against visceral leishmaniasis. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2009; 183:1813-20. [PMID: 19592661 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0900276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
No vaccine is currently available for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania donovani. This study addresses whether a live attenuated centrin gene-deleted L. donovani (LdCen1(-/-)) parasite can persist and be both safe and protective in animals. LdCen1(-/-) has a defect in amastigote replication both in vitro and ex vivo in human macrophages. Safety was shown by the lack of parasites in spleen and liver in susceptible BALB/c mice, immune compromised SCID mice, and human VL model hamsters 10 wk after infection. Mice immunized with LdCen1(-/-) showed early clearance of virulent parasite challenge not seen in mice immunized with heat killed parasites. Upon virulent challenge, the immunized mice displayed in the CD4(+) T cell population a significant increase of single and multiple cytokine (IFN-gamma, IL-2, and TNF) producing cells and IFN-gamma/IL10 ratio. Immunized mice also showed increased IgG2a immunoglobulins and NO production in macrophages. These features indicated a protective Th1-type immune response. The Th1 response correlated with a significantly reduced parasite burden in the spleen and no parasites in the liver compared with naive mice 10 wk post challenge. Protection was observed, when challenged even after 16 wk post immunization, signifying a sustained immunity. Protection by immunization with attenuated parasites was also seen in hamsters. Immunization with LdCen1(-/-) also cross-protected mice against infection with L. braziliensis that causes mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. Results indicate that LdCen1(-/-) can be a safe and effective vaccine candidate against VL as well as mucocutaneous leishmaniasis causing parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angamuthu Selvapandiyan
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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