1
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De M, Sukla S, Bharatiya S, Keshri S, Roy DG, Roy S, Dutta D, Saha S, Ejazi SA, Ravichandiran V, Ali N, Chatterjee M, Chinnaswamy S. IFN-λ3 is induced by Leishmania donovani and can inhibit parasite growth in cell line models but not in the mouse model, while it shows a significant association with leishmaniasis in humans. Infect Immun 2024; 92:e0050423. [PMID: 38193711 PMCID: PMC10863405 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00504-23] [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: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The intracellular protozoan parasite Leishmania donovani causes debilitating human diseases that involve visceral and dermal manifestations. Type 3 interferons (IFNs), also referred to as lambda IFNs (IFNL, IFN-L, or IFN-λ), are known to play protective roles against intracellular pathogens at the epithelial surfaces. Herein, we show that L. donovani induces IFN-λ3 in human as well as mouse cell line-derived macrophages. Interestingly, IFN-λ3 treatment significantly decreased parasite load in infected cells, mainly by increasing reactive oxygen species production. Microscopic examination showed that IFN-λ3 inhibited uptake but not replication, while the phagocytic ability of the cells was not affected. This was confirmed by experiments that showed that IFN-λ3 could decrease parasite load only when added to the medium at earlier time points, either during or soon after parasite uptake, but had no effect on parasite load when added at 24 h post-infection, suggesting that an early event during parasite uptake was targeted. Furthermore, the parasites could overcome the inhibitory effect of IFN-λ3, which was added at earlier time points, within 2-3 days post-infection. BALB/c mice treated with IFN-λ3 before infection led to a significant increase in expression of IL-4 and ARG1 post-infection in the spleen and liver, respectively, and to different pathological changes, especially in the liver, but not to changes in parasite load. Treatment with IFN-λ3 during infection did not decrease the parasite load in the spleen either. However, IFN-λ3 was significantly increased in the sera of visceral leishmaniasis patients, and the IFNL genetic variant rs12979860 was significantly associated with susceptibility to leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manjarika De
- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, India
| | - Soumi Sukla
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
- Centre for High Impact Neuroscience and Translational Applications (CHINTA), TCG-Centres for Research and Education in Science and Technology, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Seema Bharatiya
- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, India
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, India
| | - Sagar Keshri
- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, India
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, India
| | - Debarati Guha Roy
- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, India
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, India
| | - Sutopa Roy
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, India
| | - Debrupa Dutta
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Shriya Saha
- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, India
| | - Sarfaraz Ahmad Ejazi
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - V. Ravichandiran
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Nahid Ali
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
| | - Mitali Chatterjee
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, India
| | - Sreedhar Chinnaswamy
- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, India
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, India
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Ribeiro VM, Júnior DMG, Ottino J, Valle GR, de Miranda Estevam LGT, de Carvalho OV, Paz GF. Report of the presence of Leishmania infantum in the milk of a naturally infected female dog in Brazil. Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2022; 36:100795. [PMID: 36436888 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2022.100795] [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: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Dogs are the most important reservoir of Leishmania infantum, the causal agent of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil. Although lymphoid tissue is the most important biological tissue where amastigotes can be found, this paper describes the presence of L. infantum DNA in the milk of a lactating naturally infected female dog. This finding suggests the need for further studies to elucidate whether breastfeeding can be a route of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jennifer Ottino
- Santo Agostinho Hospital Veterinário, Brazil; Instituto de Ciências Biológicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil
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3
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Sghaier RM, Benhnini F, Guerfali FZ, Attia H, Bali A, Zaatour A, Mkannez G, Gharbi A, Belhaj-Hamida N, Dridi H, Ben-Salah A, Dellagi K, Laouini D. Healed Lesions of Human Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Caused By Leishmania major Do Not Shelter Persistent Residual Parasites. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:839216. [PMID: 35967864 PMCID: PMC9363604 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.839216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In human cutaneous leishmaniasis (HCL) caused by Leishmania (L.) major, the cutaneous lesions heal spontaneously and induce a Th1-type immunity that confers solid protection against reinfection. The same holds true for the experimental leishmaniasis induced by L. major in C57BL/6 mice where residual parasites persist after spontaneous clinical cure and induce sustainable memory immune responses and resistance to reinfection. Whether residual parasites also persist in scars of cured HCL caused by L. major is still unknown. Cutaneous scars from 53 volunteers with healed HCL caused by L. major were biopsied and the tissue sample homogenates were analyzed for residual parasites by four methods: i) microscope detection of amastigotes, ii) parasite culture by inoculation on biphasic medium, iii) inoculation of tissue exctracts to the footpad of BALB/c mice, an inbred strain highly susceptible to L. major, and iv) amplification of parasite kDNA by a highly sensitive real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Our results show that the scars of healed lesions of HCL caused by L. major do not contain detectable residual parasites, suggesting that this form likely induces a sterile cure at least within the scars. This feature contrasts with other Leishmania species causing chronic, diffuse, or recidivating forms of leishmaniasis where parasites do persist in healed lesions. The possibility that alternative mechanisms to parasite persistence are needed to boost and maintain long-term immunity to L. major, should be taken into consideration in vaccine development against L. major infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rabiaa M. Sghaier
- LR16IPT02, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LTCII), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
- Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Fouad Benhnini
- LR16IPT02, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LTCII), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
- Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Fatma Z. Guerfali
- LR16IPT02, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LTCII), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
- Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Hanène Attia
- LR16IPT02, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LTCII), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
- Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Aymen Bali
- LR16IPT02, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LTCII), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
- Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Amor Zaatour
- LR16IPT02, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LTCII), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
- Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Service of Medical Epidemiology, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
| | - Ghada Mkannez
- LR16IPT02, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LTCII), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
- Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Adel Gharbi
- LR16IPT02, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LTCII), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
- Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Service of Medical Epidemiology, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
| | - Nabil Belhaj-Hamida
- LR16IPT02, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LTCII), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
- Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Service of Medical Epidemiology, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
| | - Hichem Dridi
- LR16IPT02, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LTCII), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
- Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Service of Medical Epidemiology, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
| | - Afif Ben-Salah
- LR16IPT02, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LTCII), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
- Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Service of Medical Epidemiology, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain
| | - Koussay Dellagi
- LR16IPT02, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LTCII), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
- Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Dhafer Laouini
- LR16IPT02, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LTCII), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia
- Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- *Correspondence: Dhafer Laouini, ;
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Sukhumavasi W, Kaewamatawong T, Somboonpoonpol N, Jiratanh M, Wattanamethanont J, Kaewthamasorn M, Leelayoova S, Tiwananthagorn S. Liver- and Spleen-Specific Immune Responses in Experimental Leishmania martiniquensis Infection in BALB/c Mice. Front Vet Sci 2022; 8:794024. [PMID: 34977224 PMCID: PMC8718515 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.794024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmania martiniquensis is a neglected cause of an emerging leishmaniasis in many countries, including France, Germany, Switzerland, the United States of America, Myanmar, and Thailand, with different clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic, cutaneous (CL), visceral (VL), and atypically disseminated CL and VL. The persistence of parasites and the recurrence of the disease after treatment are challenges in controlling the disease. To explore efficient prophylaxis and therapy, this study aimed to investigate infection outcome and organ-specific immune responses after inoculation with L. martiniquensis (MHOM/TH/2011/PG; 5 x 106 promastigotes) in BALB/c mice via intravenous and intraperitoneal routes. A quantitative PCR technique, targeting L. martiniquensis ITS1, was primarily established to estimate the parasite burden. We found that the infection in the liver resolved; however, persistent infection was observed in the spleen. Histopathology with Leishmania-specific immunostaining revealed efficient hepatic granuloma formation, while splenic disorganization with parasitized macrophages at different locations was demonstrated. The mRNA expression of Th1 cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-12p40) and iNOS in the liver and spleen was upregulated. In addition, high expression of IL-10 was observed in the spleen in the chronic phase, revealing a significant moderate correlation with the parasite persistence [r(12) = 0.72, P = 0.009]. Further clarification of the mechanisms of persistent infection and experimental infection in immunosuppressed murine models are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Woraporn Sukhumavasi
- Parasitology Unit, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Feline Infectious Disease and Health for Excellence Research Unit, Microbial Food Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance Research Unit, Animal Vector-Borne Disease Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Theerayuth Kaewamatawong
- Veterinary Pathology Unit, Department of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Nawaphat Somboonpoonpol
- Parasitology Unit, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Montakan Jiratanh
- Parasitology Section, National Institute of Animal Health, Department of Livestock Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Juntra Wattanamethanont
- Parasitology Section, National Institute of Animal Health, Department of Livestock Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Morakot Kaewthamasorn
- Parasitology Unit, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Veterinary Parasitology Research Unit, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Saovanee Leelayoova
- Department of Parasitology, Phramongkutklao College of Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Saruda Tiwananthagorn
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences and Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.,Research Center of Producing and Development of Products and Innovations for Animal Health and Production, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
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5
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Castelli G, Bruno F, Reale S, Catanzaro S, Valenza V, Vitale F. Molecular Diagnosis of Leishmaniasis: Quantification of Parasite Load by a Real-Time PCR Assay with High Sensitivity. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10070865. [PMID: 34358015 PMCID: PMC8308825 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10070865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Real-time PCR was developed to quantify Leishmania infantum kinetoplast DNA and optimized to achieve a sensitivity of 1 parasite/mL. For this purpose, we cloned the conserved kDNA fragment of 120 bp into competent cells and correlated them with serial dilutions of DNA extracted from reference parasite cultures calculating that a parasite cell contains approximately 36 molecules of kDNA. This assay was applied to estimate parasite load in clinical samples from visceral, cutaneous leishmaniasis patients and infected dogs and cats comparing with conventional diagnosis. The study aimed to propose a real-time PCR for the detection of Leishmania DNA from clinical samples trying to solve the diagnostic problems due to the low sensitivity of microscopic examination or the low predictive values of serology and resolve problems related to in vitro culture. The quantitative PCR assay in this study allowed detection of Leishmania DNA and quantification of considerably low parasite loads in samples that had been diagnosed negative by conventional techniques. In conclusion, this quantitative PCR can be used for the diagnosis of both human, canine and feline Leishmaniasis with high sensitivity and specificity, but also for evaluating treatment and the endpoint determination of leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Germano Castelli
- Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le Leishmaniosi (C.Re.Na.L.), OIE Leishmania Reference Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy; (G.C.); (S.C.); (V.V.); (F.V.)
| | - Federica Bruno
- Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le Leishmaniosi (C.Re.Na.L.), OIE Leishmania Reference Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy; (G.C.); (S.C.); (V.V.); (F.V.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0916565368
| | - Stefano Reale
- Laboratorio di Tecnologie Diagnostiche Innovative (TDI), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Simone Catanzaro
- Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le Leishmaniosi (C.Re.Na.L.), OIE Leishmania Reference Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy; (G.C.); (S.C.); (V.V.); (F.V.)
| | - Viviana Valenza
- Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le Leishmaniosi (C.Re.Na.L.), OIE Leishmania Reference Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy; (G.C.); (S.C.); (V.V.); (F.V.)
| | - Fabrizio Vitale
- Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le Leishmaniosi (C.Re.Na.L.), OIE Leishmania Reference Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy; (G.C.); (S.C.); (V.V.); (F.V.)
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6
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Ramos GS, Vallejos VMR, Ladeira MS, Reis PG, Souza DM, Machado YA, Ladeira LO, Pinheiro MBV, Melo MN, Fujiwara RT, Frézard F. Antileishmanial activity of fullerol and its liposomal formulation in experimental models of visceral leishmaniasis. Biomed Pharmacother 2021; 134:111120. [PMID: 33341671 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2020.111120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a systemic parasitic disease that leads to high rates of morbidity and mortality in humans worldwide. There is a great need to develop new drugs and novel strategies to make chemotherapy for this disease more efficacious and well tolerated. Recent reports on the immunomodulatory effects and the low toxicity of the spherical carbon nanostructure fullerol led us to investigate in vitro and in vivo antileishmanial activity in free and encapsulated forms in liposomes. When assayed against intramacrophagic Leishmania amastigotes, fullerol showed a dose-dependent reduction of the infection index with IC50 of 0.042 mg/mL. When given daily by i.p. route for 20 days (0.05 mg/kg/d) in a murine model of acute VL, fullerol promoted significant reduction in the liver parasite load. To improve the delivery of fullerol to the infection sites, liposomal formulations were prepared by the dehydration-rehydration method. When evaluated in the acute VL model, liposomal fullerol (Lip-Ful) formulations given i.p. at 0.05 and 0.2 mg/kg with 4-days intervals were more effective than the free form, with significant parasite reductions in both liver and spleen. Lip-Ful at 0.2 mg/kg promoted complete parasite elimination in the liver. The antileishmanial activity of Lip-Ful was further confirmed in a chronic model of VL. Lip-Ful was also found to induce secretion of pro-inflammatory TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-1β cytokines. In conclusion, this work reports for the first time the antileishmanial activity of fullerol and introduces an innovative approach for treatment of VL based on the association of this nanostructure with liposomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme S Ramos
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Virgínia M R Vallejos
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Marina S Ladeira
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Priscila G Reis
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Daniel M Souza
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Yuri A Machado
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Luiz O Ladeira
- Departamento de Física, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Maurício B V Pinheiro
- Departamento de Física, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Maria N Melo
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ricardo T Fujiwara
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Frédéric Frézard
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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7
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Hong A, Zampieri RA, Shaw JJ, Floeter-Winter LM, Laranjeira-Silva MF. One Health Approach to Leishmaniases: Understanding the Disease Dynamics through Diagnostic Tools. Pathogens 2020; 9:pathogens9100809. [PMID: 33019713 PMCID: PMC7599840 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9100809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniases are zoonotic vector-borne diseases caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania that affect millions of people around the globe. There are various clinical manifestations, ranging from self-healing cutaneous lesions to potentially fatal visceral leishmaniasis, all of which are associated with different Leishmania species. Transmission of these parasites is complex due to the varying ecological relationships between human and/or animal reservoir hosts, parasites, and sand fly vectors. Moreover, vector-borne diseases like leishmaniases are intricately linked to environmental changes and socioeconomic risk factors, advocating the importance of the One Health approach to control these diseases. The development of an accurate, fast, and cost-effective diagnostic tool for leishmaniases is a priority, and the implementation of various control measures such as animal sentinel surveillance systems is needed to better detect, prevent, and respond to the (re-)emergence of leishmaniases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahyun Hong
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, Brazil; (A.H.); (R.A.Z.); (L.M.F.-W.)
| | - Ricardo Andrade Zampieri
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, Brazil; (A.H.); (R.A.Z.); (L.M.F.-W.)
| | - Jeffrey Jon Shaw
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil;
| | - Lucile Maria Floeter-Winter
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, Brazil; (A.H.); (R.A.Z.); (L.M.F.-W.)
| | - Maria Fernanda Laranjeira-Silva
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, Brazil; (A.H.); (R.A.Z.); (L.M.F.-W.)
- Correspondence:
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8
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Resende LA, Aguiar-Soares RDDO, Moreira NDD, Ferreira SDA, Lanna MF, Cardoso JMDO, Mathias FAS, Coura-Vital W, Mariano RMDS, Leite JC, Silveira P, de Carvalho TF, Santos RL, da Silveira-Lemos D, Martins-Filho OA, Dutra WO, Reis AB, Giunchetti RC. In vitro Infectivity of Strains Isolated From Dogs Naturally Infected With Leishmania infantum Present a Distinct Pathogenic Profile in Hamsters. Front Med (Lausanne) 2020; 7:496. [PMID: 32984376 PMCID: PMC7483547 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2020.00496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a severe disease caused by Leishmania infantum. Dogs are the parasite's main reservoir, favoring its transmission in the urban environment. The analysis of L. infantum from infected dogs contributes to the identification of more virulent parasites, thereby supporting basic and applied studies such as vaccinal and therapeutic strategies. We proposed the in vitro and in vivo characterization of L. infantum strains from naturally infected dogs from a VL endemic area based on an infectivity and pathogenicity analysis. DH82 canine macrophages were infected in vitro with different strains for infectivity analysis, showing distinct infectivity profiles. The strains that showed greater and lesser infectivity using in vitro analyses (616 and 614, respectively) were used to infect hamsters for pathogenicity analysis. The group infected with strain 616 showed 100% survival while the group infected with strain 614 showed 50% after seven months of follow up. Furthermore, the 614 strain induced more noticeable clinicopathological changes and biochemical abnormalities in liver function, along with high inflammation and parasite load in the liver and spleen. We confirmed high variability of infectivity and pathogenicity in L. infantum strains from infected dogs. The results support the belief that screening for L. infantum infectivity using in vitro experiments is inadequate when it comes to selecting the most pathogenic strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucilene Aparecida Resende
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil
| | | | - Nádia das Dores Moreira
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil.,Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil.,Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas (Cipharma), Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil
| | - Sidney de Almeida Ferreira
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil.,Laboratório de Biologia Parasitária, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil
| | - Mariana Ferreira Lanna
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil
| | | | | | - Wendel Coura-Vital
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil.,Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil.,Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas (Cipharma), Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil.,Laboratório de Pesquisa em Epidemiologia e Citologia, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil
| | - Reysla Maria da Silveira Mariano
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Jaqueline Costa Leite
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Patricia Silveira
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Tatiane Furtado de Carvalho
- Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinárias, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Renato Lima Santos
- Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinárias, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Denise da Silveira-Lemos
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,Grupo Integrado de Pesquisas em Biomarcadores, Instituto René Rachou, FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,Departamento de Medicina, Universidade José Do Rosário Vellano, UNIFENAS, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | - Walderez Ornelas Dutra
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Barbosa Reis
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil.,Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil.,Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas (Cipharma), Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil
| | - Rodolfo Cordeiro Giunchetti
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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9
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Corpas-López V, Tabraue-Chávez M, Sixto-López Y, Panadero-Fajardo S, Alves de Lima Franco F, Domínguez-Seglar JF, Morillas-Márquez F, Franco-Montalbán F, Díaz-Gavilán M, Correa-Basurto J, López-Viota J, López-Viota M, Pérez del Palacio J, de la Cruz M, de Pedro N, Martín-Sánchez J, Gómez-Vidal JA. O-Alkyl Hydroxamates Display Potent and Selective Antileishmanial Activity. J Med Chem 2020; 63:5734-5751. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b02016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Victoriano Corpas-López
- Departamento de Parasitologı́a, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Mavys Tabraue-Chávez
- Departamento de Quı́mica Farmacéutica y Orgánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Yudibeth Sixto-López
- Laboratorio de Diseño y Desarrollo de Nuevos Fármacos y Productos Biotecnológicos, Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Plan de San Luis y Díaz Mirón, 11340 México City, México
| | - Sonia Panadero-Fajardo
- Departamento de Quı́mica Farmacéutica y Orgánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Fernando Alves de Lima Franco
- Departamento de Parasitologı́a, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - José F. Domínguez-Seglar
- Departamento de Quı́mica Farmacéutica y Orgánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Francisco Morillas-Márquez
- Departamento de Parasitologı́a, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Francisco Franco-Montalbán
- Departamento de Quı́mica Farmacéutica y Orgánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Mónica Díaz-Gavilán
- Departamento de Quı́mica Farmacéutica y Orgánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - José Correa-Basurto
- Laboratorio de Diseño y Desarrollo de Nuevos Fármacos y Productos Biotecnológicos, Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Plan de San Luis y Díaz Mirón, 11340 México City, México
| | - Julián López-Viota
- Departamento de Farmacia y Tecnologı́a Farmacéutica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Margarita López-Viota
- Departamento de Farmacia y Tecnologı́a Farmacéutica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | | | | | - Nuria de Pedro
- Fundación MEDINA, Parque Tecnológico de la Salud, 18016 Granada, Spain
| | - Joaquina Martín-Sánchez
- Departamento de Parasitologı́a, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - José A. Gómez-Vidal
- Departamento de Quı́mica Farmacéutica y Orgánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
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10
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Eberhardt E, Hendrickx R, Van den Kerkhof M, Monnerat S, Alves F, Hendrickx S, Maes L, Caljon G. Comparative evaluation of nucleic acid stabilizing reagents for RNA- and DNA-based Leishmania detection in blood as proxy for visceral burdens. J Microbiol Methods 2020; 173:105935. [PMID: 32376283 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2020.105935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Molecular detection techniques using peripheral blood are preferred over invasive tissue aspiration for the diagnosis and post-treatment follow-up of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients. This study aims to identify suitable stabilizing reagents to prevent DNA and RNA degradation during storage and transport to specialized laboratories where molecular diagnosis is performed. METHODOLOGY The stabilizing capacities of different commercially available reagents were compared using promastigote-spiked human blood and peripheral blood of Syrian golden hamsters subjected to experimental infection, treatment (miltefosine or aminopyrazole DNDi-1044) and immunosuppression. The impact of various storage temperature conditions was tested in combination with an established kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) qPCR and a recently developed spliced leader RNA (SL-RNA) assay for Leishmania detection. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Irrespective of the blood type and stabilizer used, threshold (cT) values obtained with the SL-RNA qPCR were systematically lower than those obtained with the kDNA assay, confirming the advantage of the SL-RNA assay over the widely used kDNA assay for low-level Leishmania detection. Peripheral blood parasite levels correlated relatively well with hepatic burdens. RNA protect cell reagent provided the most optimal simultaneous DNA and RNA stabilization in both human and hamster blood. However, this stabilizer requires an erythrocyte lysis step, which can be challenging under field conditions. DNA/RNA shield provides a good alternative for downstream kDNA and SL-RNA assays, especially if sample storage capacity at 4 °C can be guaranteed. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The recommended stabilizing reagents are compatible with RNA- and DNA-based Leishmania detection in peripheral blood in the VL hamster model and spiked human blood. Since molecular detection techniques using peripheral blood are less invasive than microscopic assessment of tissue aspirates, the findings of this study may be applied to human VL clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline Eberhardt
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Rik Hendrickx
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Magali Van den Kerkhof
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | | | - Fabiana Alves
- Drugs for Neglected Disease initiative (DNDi), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sarah Hendrickx
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Guy Caljon
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.
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11
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Gebrekidan H, Perera PK, Ghafar A, Abbas T, Gasser RB, Jabbar A. An appraisal of oriental theileriosis and the Theileria orientalis complex, with an emphasis on diagnosis and genetic characterisation. Parasitol Res 2020; 119:11-22. [PMID: 31811422 PMCID: PMC7223495 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-019-06557-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Oriental theileriosis, a tick-borne disease of bovids caused by members of the Theileria orientalis complex, has a worldwide distribution. Globally, at least 11 distinct genotypes of T. orientalis complex, including type 1 (chitose), type 2 (ikeda), type 3 (buffeli), types 4 to 8, and N1-N3, have been described based on the sequence of the major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) gene. Of these 11 genotypes, mainly ikeda and chitose are known to be pathogenic and cause considerable morbidity (including high fever, anaemia, jaundice and abortion), production losses and/or mortality in cattle. Mixed infections with two or more genotypes of T. orientalis is common, but do not always lead to a clinical disease, posing challenges in the diagnosis of asymptomatic or subclinical forms of oriental theileriosis. The diagnosis of oriental theileriosis is usually based on clinical signs, the detection of piroplasms of T. orientalis in blood smears, and/or the use of serological or molecular techniques. This paper reviews current methods used for the diagnosis of T. orientalis infections and the genetic characterisation of members of the T. orientalis complex, and proposes that advanced genomic tools should be established for investigations of these and related haemoparasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hagos Gebrekidan
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, Australia
| | - Piyumali K Perera
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, The University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka
| | - Abdul Ghafar
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, Australia
| | - Tariq Abbas
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Robin B Gasser
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, Australia
| | - Abdul Jabbar
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, Australia.
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12
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Clark DJ, Moore CM, Flanagan M, Bocxlaer KV, Piperaki ET, Yardley V, Croft SL, Tyson J, Whitehouse SP, O'Halloran J, Krishna S, Staines HM. An efficient and novel technology for the extraction of parasite genomic DNA from whole blood or culture. Biotechniques 2019; 68:79-84. [PMID: 31774301 PMCID: PMC7115988 DOI: 10.2144/btn-2019-0086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess pathogen DNA extraction with a new spin column-based method (DNA-XT). DNA from either whole-blood samples spiked with Plasmodium falciparum or Leishmania donovani amastigote culture was extracted with DNA-XT and compared with that produced by a commercial extraction kit (DNeasy®). Eluates from large and small sample volumes were assessed by PCR and spectroscopy. Using a small volume (5 μl) of blood, the DNA-XT and DNeasy methods produced eluates with similar DNA concentrations (0.63 vs 1.06 ng/μl, respectively). The DNA-XT method produced DNA with lower PCR inhibition than DNeasy. The new technique was also twice as fast and required fewer plastics and manipulations but had reduced total recovered DNA compared with DNeasy. DNA-XT, which is designed for small sample volumes, uses a 5-min detergent and enzymatic lysis step to release DNA from cells. Contaminating proteins and lipids are then bound to a matrix within a spin column during a 1-min centrifugation step while DNA passes directly through.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Clark
- Centre for Diagnostics & Antimicrobial Resistance, Institute for Infection & Immunity, St George's University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE, UK
| | - Catherine M Moore
- Centre for Diagnostics & Antimicrobial Resistance, Institute for Infection & Immunity, St George's University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE, UK
| | | | - Katrien Van Bocxlaer
- Infection & Immunity Department, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Evangelia-Theophano Piperaki
- Infection & Immunity Department, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Vanessa Yardley
- Infection & Immunity Department, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Simon L Croft
- Infection & Immunity Department, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - John Tyson
- QuantuMDx, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 2JQ, UK
| | | | | | - Sanjeev Krishna
- Centre for Diagnostics & Antimicrobial Resistance, Institute for Infection & Immunity, St George's University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE, UK
| | - Henry M Staines
- Centre for Diagnostics & Antimicrobial Resistance, Institute for Infection & Immunity, St George's University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE, UK
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13
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Conter CC, Mota CA, Dos Santos BA, de Souza Braga L, de Souza Terron M, Navasconi TR, Fernandes ACBS, Demarchi IG, de Castro KRR, Aristides SMA, Lonardoni MVC, Teixeira JJV, Silveira TGV. PCR primers designed for new world Leishmania: A systematic review. Exp Parasitol 2019; 207:107773. [PMID: 31605671 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2019.107773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Studies of the primers that were designed to detect New World Leishmania were systematically reviewed to report the characteristics of each target, detection limit, specificity of the primers designed and diagnostic sensibility. The papers identified in the databases PubMed and Web of Science involved 50 studies. Minicircle is the most applied target in molecular research for diagnosis, due to its high sensitivity in detecting Leishmania in different clinical samples, a characteristic that can be partially attributed to the higher number of copies of the minicircle per cell. The other molecular targets shown in this review were less sensitive to diagnostic use because of the lower number of copies of the target gene per cell, but more specific for identification of the subgenus and/or species. The choice of the best target is an important step towards the result of the research. The target allows the design of primers that are specific to the genus, subgenus or a particular species and also imparts sensitivity to the method for diagnosis. The findings of this systematic review provide the advantages and disadvantages of the main molecular targets and primers designed for New World Leishmania, offering information so that the researcher can choose the PCR system best suited to their research need. This is a timely and extremely thorough review of the primers designed for New World Leishmania.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Cella Conter
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, State University of Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Camila Alves Mota
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, State University of Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
| | | | - Laís de Souza Braga
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, State University of Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
| | | | - Taísa Rocha Navasconi
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, State University of Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
| | | | - Izabel Galhardo Demarchi
- Department of Clinical Analyses and Biomedicine, State University of Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
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14
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Development and evaluation of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for rapid detection of Leishmania amazonensis in skin samples. Exp Parasitol 2019; 203:23-29. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2019.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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15
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Evaluation of methods for detection of asymptomatic individuals infected with Leishmania infantum in the state of Piauí, Brazil. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007493. [PMID: 31260440 PMCID: PMC6625727 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Visceral Leishmaniasis in humans presents with fever, anemia, and splenomegaly and can be lethal if not treated. Nevertheless, the majority of Leishmania infantum-infected individuals does not manifest symptoms and remain so provided they are not immunosuppressed. In this work, the performance of different tests was evaluated to detect asymptomatic individuals who were living in Teresina, Piauí state, Brazil, an endemic area for VL. METHODOLOGY L. infantum-specific antibodies were detected by ELISA and two different rapid immunochromatographic (IC) diagnostic tests, Kalazar Detect and OnSite, and parasitic loads were detected by real time PCR [qPCR]. Additionally, we measured levels of the biomarkers monokine induced by IFN-γ (MIG) and IFN-γ-induced protein 10 (IP-10) before and after stimulation of whole blood with soluble Leishmania antigen [SLA]. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Kalazar Detect and OnSite detected, respectively, 76% and 64% of patients presenting with active Visceral Leishmaniasis; 50% and 57% of patients remained positive in these tests, respectively, after treatment. Of the healthy participants in the study who were living in the endemic area, only 1.7% were positive with both of the IC tests. On the other hand, reactivity in ELISA tests revealed that 13% of these individuals presented asymptomatic infections; among VL patients, 84% presenting with active disease were reactive in ELISA, and after treatment, 55.5% were seropositive. L. infantum DNA was present in the blood of 37.9% of infected individuals living in the endemic area, while IP-10 and MIG biomarkers were detected in 26.7% of them. The greatest concordance of positivity occurred between ELISA and qPCR. CONCLUSION The association of different techniques can detect asymptomatic infections, however, more research is necessary to develop ideal biomarkers that are simple to use in the clinic and in field studies in areas endemic for Visceral Leishmaniasis.
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16
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Neutrophil properties in healthy and Leishmania infantum-naturally infected dogs. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6247. [PMID: 31000764 PMCID: PMC6472404 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42687-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis is a chronic disease that affects humans and dogs as well. Dogs, the domestic reservoir of Leishmania, play a central role in the transmission of visceral leishmaniasis, the most severe form of this disease. Neutrophils are the most abundant leukocytes in blood and interact with the parasite after infection. Here, we evaluate the effector properties of neutrophils from healthy and naturally Leishmania infantum-infected dogs. Our results showed that the parasite induced neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) release from neutrophils in both groups. Additionally, phagocytosis and NETs contributed differently to parasite killing by neutrophils from healthy and infected animals, and IFN-γ, IL-8, IL-4 and TNF-α production by neutrophils from both groups were differentially modulated by the parasite. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the complex role played by neutrophils in canine visceral leishmaniasis, which may favor the development of more effective therapies.
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17
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Álvarez-Velilla R, Gutiérrez-Corbo MDC, Punzón C, Pérez-Pertejo MY, Balaña-Fouce R, Fresno M, Reguera RM. A chronic bioluminescent model of experimental visceral leishmaniasis for accelerating drug discovery. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007133. [PMID: 30763330 PMCID: PMC6392311 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Revised: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Visceral leishmaniasis is a neglected parasitic disease with no vaccine available and its pharmacological treatment is reduced to a limited number of unsafe drugs. The scarce readiness of new antileishmanial drugs is even more alarming when relapses appear or the occurrence of hard-to-treat resistant strains is detected. In addition, there is a gap between the initial and late stages of drug development, which greatly delays the selection of leads for subsequent studies. Methodology/Principal findings In order to address these issues, we have generated a red-shifted luminescent Leishmania infantum strain that enables long-term monitoring of parasite burden in individual animals with an in vivo limit of detection of 106 intracellular amastigotes 48 h postinfection. For this purpose, we have injected intravenously different infective doses (104—5x108) of metacyclic parasites in susceptible mouse models and the disease was monitored from initial times to 21 weeks postinfection. The emission of light from the target organs demonstrated the sequential parasite colonization of liver, spleen and bone marrow. When miltefosine was used as proof-of-concept, spleen weight parasite burden and bioluminescence values decreased significantly. Conclusions In vivo bioimaging using a red-shifted modified Leishmania infantum strain allows the appraisal of acute and chronic stage of infection, being a powerful tool for accelerating drug development against visceral leishmaniasis during both stages and helping to bridge the gap between early discovery process and subsequent drug development. Visceral leishmaniasis is a neglected disease that poses a significant threat to impoverished human populations of low-income countries. Due to the unavailability of vaccines, pharmacological treatment is the only approach to control the disease that otherwise can be lethal. To date, drug management in endemic regions is based on combinations of a handful of mostly unsafe drugs, where the emergence of resistant strains is an additional problem. To accelerate the discovery of new drug entities, several gaps from the early discovery of a compound to its public use, should be filled. One of these gaps is the need of a rapid go/no-go testing system for compounds based on robust preclinical models. Here, we propose a new long-term model of murine visceral leishmaniasis using in vivo bioluminescent imaging. For this purpose, a red-shifted bioluminescent Leishmania infantum strain was engineered. This strain has allowed the appraisal of the disease in individual animals and the monitoring of parasite colonization in liver, spleen and bone marrow. As proof of concept of this platform, mice were infected with the transgenic L. infantum strain treated with a standard schedule of miltefosine, the only oral drug available against Leishmania parasites. Bioluminescence and parasite load in the target organs were compared showing a good correlation. Our findings provide a robust and reproducible tool for drug discovery in a chronic model of murine visceral leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Álvarez-Velilla
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Carmen Punzón
- Diomune S.L Parque Científico de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Manuel Fresno
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Diomune S.L Parque Científico de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rosa María Reguera
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad de León, León, Spain
- * E-mail:
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18
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Antonia AL, Wang L, Ko DC. A real-time PCR assay for quantification of parasite burden in murine models of leishmaniasis. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5905. [PMID: 30430041 PMCID: PMC6231426 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic parasites in the genus Leishmania place approximately 350 million people per year at risk of disease. In addition to their global health significance, Leishmania spp. have served as an important model for delineating basic concepts in immunology such as T-helper cell polarization. There have been many qPCR-based assays reported for measuring parasite burden in humans and animals. However, these are largely optimized for use in clinical diagnosis and not specifically for animal models. This has led several of these assays to have suboptimal characteristics for use in animal models. For example, multi-copy number genes have been frequently used to increase sensitivity but are subject to greater plasticity within the genome and thus may confound effects of experimental manipulations in animal models. In this study, we developed a sybr-green based quantitative touchdown PCR assay for a highly conserved and single-copy putative RNA-binding protein, DRBD3. With primers that share greater than 90% sequence identity across all sequenced Leishmania spp., we demonstrate that this assay has a lower limit of detection of 100 fg of parasite DNA for Leishmania major, L. donovani, L. venezuelensis, and L. panamensis. Using C57BL6/J mice, we used this assay to monitor parasite burden over 1 month of infection with two strains of L. major (Seidman and Friedlin), and L. venezeuelensis. These characteristics rival the sensitivity of previously reported qPCR based methods of parasite quantitation while amplifying a stable, single copy gene. Use of this protocol in the future will lead to improved accuracy in animal based models and help to tease apart differences in biology of host-parasite interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro L. Antonia
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Liuyang Wang
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Dennis C. Ko
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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Comparative analysis of real-time PCR assays in the detection of canine visceral leishmaniasis. Parasitol Res 2018; 117:3341-3346. [PMID: 30088073 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-018-6038-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Dogs are important hosts and reservoirs of leishmaniasis, a disease caused by protozoan parasites from the genus Leishmania, affecting ~12 million people worldwide. The detection of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in dogs by real-time PCR (qPCR) may improve on diagnosis, but the different qPCR methods available for Leishmania DNA detection have not been established as routine in diagnostic tools and/or epidemiologic studies for canine VL. Here, we compared three qPCR assays (DNApol, Linj31, and LDON) in the detection of VL by Leishmania infantum in spleen (n = 48; 7), skin (n = 48; 7), and whole blood (n = 44; 7) samples from serologically positive and negative dogs, respectively. Overall, the DNApol performed better than the Linj31 and LDON assays in the detection of positive samples in all tissues tested, yielding from 66.7 to 100.0% of positivity for both skin and spleen samples. For spleen samples, we observed no statistically significant differences between positive detection by the LDON and DNApol assays. Whole blood samples yielded the lowest rates of positive detection, regardless of the qPCR assay used. In contrast, positive detection of Leishmania DNA was as efficient from skin samples using the DNApol assay as from spleen samples using either the DNApol or the LDON assay. Although qPCR assays from skin samples may not be practical for use in the field, our study suggests that the DNApol and LDON assays from skin samples could be used in future to evaluate canine VL treatment in veterinary clinics.
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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: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [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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Eberhardt E, Van den Kerkhof M, Bulté D, Mabille D, Van Bockstal L, Monnerat S, Alves F, Mbui J, Delputte P, Cos P, Hendrickx S, Maes L, Caljon G. Evaluation of a Pan-Leishmania Spliced-Leader RNA Detection Method in Human Blood and Experimentally Infected Syrian Golden Hamsters. J Mol Diagn 2018; 20:253-263. [PMID: 29355825 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2017.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Revised: 11/24/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Several methods have been developed for the detection of Leishmania, mostly targeting the minicircle kinetoplast DNA (kDNA). A new RNA real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay was developed targeting the conserved and highly expressed spliced-leader (SL) mini-exon sequence. This study compared the limits of detection of various real-time PCR assays in hamsters infected with Leishmania infantum, in spiked human blood, and in clinical blood samples from visceral leishmaniasis patients. The SL-RNA assay showed an excellent analytical sensitivity in tissues (0.005 and 0.002 parasites per mg liver and spleen, respectively) and was not prone to false-positive reactions. Evaluation of the SL-RNA assay on clinical samples demonstrated lower threshold cycle values than the kDNA qPCR, an excellent interrun stability of 97%, a 93% agreement with the kDNA assay, and an estimated sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 93.2%, 94.3%, and 93.8%, respectively. The SL-RNA qPCR assay was equally efficient for detecting Leishmania major, Leishmania tropica, Leishmania mexicana, Leishmania guayensis, Leishmania panamensis, Leishmania braziliensis, L. infantum, and Leishmania donovani and revealed similar SL-RNA levels in the different species and the occurrence of polycistronic SL-containing transcripts in Viannia species. Collectively, this single SL-RNA qPCR assay enables universal Leishmania detection and represents a particularly useful addition to the widely used kDNA assay in clinical studies in which the detection of viable parasites is pivotal to assess parasitological cure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline Eberhardt
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Magali Van den Kerkhof
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Dimitri Bulté
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Dorien Mabille
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Lieselotte Van Bockstal
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | | | - Fabiana Alves
- Drugs for Neglected Disease Initiative, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jane Mbui
- Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Peter Delputte
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Paul Cos
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Sarah Hendrickx
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Guy Caljon
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.
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Association between mast cells, tissue remodelation and parasite burden in the skin of dogs with visceral leishmaniasis. Vet Parasitol 2017; 243:260-266. [PMID: 28807304 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2017.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2017] [Revised: 05/29/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Canine visceral leishmaniosis (CVL) is a zoonosis of major public health impact caused by organisms of the genus Leishmania which is transmitted to human and animals by phlebotomine sand flies. The skin is the first point of contact with Leishmania parasites for sandy fly vectors and it is considered an important reservoir compartment in infected dogs. The aim of this study was to determine the main histophatologic alterations in ear skin of dogs naturally infected by Leishmania infantum with different clinical status and different degrees of parasitism. Therefore, thirty-four dogs naturally infected with L. infantum were grouped according to their clinical status in asymptomatic (AD, n=11), oligosymptomatic (OD, n=11) and symptomatic dogs (SD, n=12) as well as their degrees of parasite load in the skin as low (LP, n=11), median (MP, n=11) and high (HP, n=12) parasitism. Additionally, ten dogs were used as control (CD, n=10). At necropsy, skin samples were collected for further histological and parasitological analysis. The OD and SD groups presented higher parasite burden than AD group. The inflammation was higher in SD group when compared to OD and AD. The LP, MP and HP groups showed an increasing inflammatory process, indicating that a great parasite load is accompanied by a major inflammatory process in the skin. The number of mast cells was higher in the OD and LP groups than CD group, suggesting that these cells may be involved in tissue remodeling, since that an increase of type III collagen fibers and decrease type I collagen fibers were observed in these groups. Taken together, our results enable a better understanding of the alterations in skin of CVL dogs and consequently new insights about the pathogenesis of CVL.
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Experimental mixed infection of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis and Leishmania (L.) infantum in hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). Parasitology 2017; 144:1191-1202. [PMID: 28487000 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182017000464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
In South America, visceral leishmaniasis is frequently caused by Leishmania infantum and, at an unknown frequency, by Leishmania amazonensis. Therefore, mixed infections with these organisms are possible. Mixed infections might affect the clinical course, immune response, diagnosis, treatment and epidemiology of the disease. Here we describe the clinical course of mixed infections with L. amazonensis and L. infantum in a hamster model. We show that mixed infections are associated with more severe clinical disease than infection with L. amazonensis or L. infantum alone. In spleens with mixed infections, L. infantum outcompeted L. amazonensis in the tissue, but not in culture from tissue. We found increased levels of IgG in animals infected with L. infantum. Although more than 30 bands were revealed in a Western blot, the highest immunogenicity was observed with proteins having molecular masses of 95 and 90 kDa, whereas proteins with molecular masses of lower than 50 kDa were reactive frequently with serum from hamsters infected with L. amazonensis, and proteins with molecular masses of 80 and 70 kDa were reactive only with serum from hamsters infected with L. infantum. This finding has important implications regarding the biology of Leishmania and humoral immune responses to infections with these organisms.
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Roatt BM, Aguiar-Soares RDDO, Reis LES, Cardoso JMDO, Mathias FAS, de Brito RCF, da Silva SM, Gontijo NDF, Ferreira SDA, Valenzuela JG, Corrêa-Oliveira R, Giunchetti RC, Reis AB. A Vaccine Therapy for Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis Promoted Significant Improvement of Clinical and Immune Status with Reduction in Parasite Burden. Front Immunol 2017; 8:217. [PMID: 28321217 PMCID: PMC5338076 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Herein, we evaluated the treatment strategy employing a therapeutic heterologous vaccine composed of antigens of Leishmania braziliensis associated with MPL adjuvant (LBMPL vaccine) for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in symptomatic dogs naturally infected by Leishmania infantum. Sixteen dogs received immunotherapy with MPL adjuvant (n = 6) or with a vaccine composed of antigens of L. braziliensis associated with MPL (LBMPL vaccine therapy, n = 10). Dogs were submitted to an immunotherapeutic scheme consisting of 3 series composed of 10 subcutaneous doses with 10-day interval between each series. The animals were evaluated before (T0) and 90 days after treatment (T90) for their biochemical/hematological, immunological, clinical, and parasitological variables. Our major results showed that the vaccine therapy with LBMPL was able to restore and normalize main biochemical (urea, AST, ALP, and bilirubin) and hematological (erythrocytes, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelets) parameters. In addition, in an ex vivo analysis using flow cytometry, dogs treated with LBMPL vaccine showed increased CD3+ T lymphocytes and their subpopulations (TCD4+ and TCD8+), reduction of CD21+ B lymphocytes, increased NK cells (CD5-CD16+) and CD14+ monocytes. Under in vitro conditions, the animals developed a strong antigen-specific lymphoproliferation mainly by TCD4+ and TCD8+ cells; increasing in both TCD4+IFN-γ+ and TCD8+IFN-γ+ as well as reduction of TCD4+IL-4+ and TCD8+IL-4+ lymphocytes with an increased production of TNF-α and reduced levels of IL-10. Concerning the clinical signs of canine visceral leishmaniasis, the animals showed an important reduction in the number and intensity of the disease signs; increase body weight as well as reduction of splenomegaly. In addition, the LBMPL immunotherapy also promoted a reduction in parasite burden assessed by real-time PCR. In the bone marrow, we observed seven times less parasites in LBMPL animals compared with MPL group. The skin tissue showed a reduction in parasite burden in LBMPL dogs 127.5 times higher than MPL. As expected, with skin parasite reduction promoted by immunotherapy, we observed a blocking transmission to sand flies in LBMPL dogs with only three positive dogs after xenodiagnosis. The results obtained in this study highlighted the strong potential for the use of this heterologous vaccine therapy as an important strategy for VL treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Mendes Roatt
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Departamento de Patologia Clínica, COLTEC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Doenças Tropicais (INCT-DT), Salvador, Brazil
| | | | - Levi Eduardo Soares Reis
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto , Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais , Brazil
| | - Jamille Mirelle de Oliveira Cardoso
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto , Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais , Brazil
| | - Fernando Augusto Siqueira Mathias
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto , Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais , Brazil
| | - Rory Cristiane Fortes de Brito
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto , Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais , Brazil
| | - Sydnei Magno da Silva
- Laboratório de Bioensaios em Leishmania, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia , Uberlândia, Minas Gerais , Brazil
| | - Nelder De Figueiredo Gontijo
- Laboratório de Fisiologia de Insetos Hematófagos, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais , Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais , Brazil
| | - Sidney de Almeida Ferreira
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto , Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais , Brazil
| | - Jesus G Valenzuela
- Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health , Rockville, MD , USA
| | - Rodrigo Corrêa-Oliveira
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Doenças Tropicais (INCT-DT), Salvador, Brazil
| | - Rodolfo Cordeiro Giunchetti
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais , Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais , Brazil
| | - Alexandre Barbosa Reis
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Doenças Tropicais (INCT-DT), Salvador, Brazil
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Nunes JB, Laurenti MD, Kanamura HY, Pereira AAC, Colombo FA, Marques MJ. Leishmania infantum INFECTION IN DOGS FROM THE SOUTHERN REGION OF MINAS GERAIS STATE, BRAZIL. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2016; 58:75. [PMID: 27828616 PMCID: PMC5096629 DOI: 10.1590/s1678-9946201658075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2015] [Accepted: 05/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis is a systemic and chronic disease and dogs are the main reservoir of the etiologic agent, Leishmania infantum (syn L. chagasi). A serological and molecular investigation of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) was performed in the municipality of Alfenas, located in the southern region of Minas Gerais, where the disease is not endemic. Samples from 87 dogs were submitted to serological tests including the Dual Path Platform (DPP(r) ) CVL Bio-Manguinhos rapid test, an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and an immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT), as well as molecular techniques such as a conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the RV1/RV2 primers and a quantitative PCR (qPCR) with the LinJ31, Ldon and DNApol primers. Of the 87 serum samples, eight (9.2%) were positive for Leishmania using the DPP rapid test, but only four (4.6%) were confirmed by ELISA and two (2.3%) by IFAT. In these two serologically confirmed cases, spleen and liver samples were positive by all the employed molecular and parasitological procedures performed on spleen samples. When whole blood samples were used in the molecular assays, two samples (2.3%) were positive only by qPCR. DNA extracted and amplified from the spleens of seropositive dogs was sequenced, showing 100% of similarity with the Leishmania infantum (syn L. chagasi) sequence. Thus, the first cases of CVL have been confirmed in the Alfenas region, suggesting the importance of canine surveys in non-endemic municipalities for CVL to monitor disease progression and to prevent outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Barbosa Nunes
- Federal University of Alfenas, Institute of Biomedical Sciences. Alfenas, MG, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Fabio Antonio Colombo
- Federal University of Alfenas, Institute of Biomedical Sciences. Alfenas, MG, Brazil
| | - Marcos José Marques
- Federal University of Alfenas, Institute of Biomedical Sciences. Alfenas, MG, Brazil
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de Mendonça LZ, Resende LA, Lanna MF, Aguiar-Soares RDDO, Roatt BM, Castro RADOE, Batista MA, Silveira-Lemos D, Gomes JDAS, Fujiwara RT, Rezende SA, Martins-Filho OA, Corrêa-Oliveira R, Dutra WO, Reis AB, Giunchetti RC. Multicomponent LBSap vaccine displays immunological and parasitological profiles similar to those of Leish-Tec® and Leishmune® vaccines against visceral leishmaniasis. Parasit Vectors 2016; 9:472. [PMID: 27577735 PMCID: PMC5006379 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1752-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In past years, many researchers have sought canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) prevention through the characterization of Leishmania antigens as vaccine candidates. Despite these efforts, there is still no efficient vaccine for CVL control. Methods In the present study, we performed a pre-clinical vaccine trial using BALB/c mice to compare the effects of the multicomponent LBSap vaccine with those of Leish-Tec® and Leishmune®. Blood was collected to determine the frequency of peripheral blood cells and to evaluate hematologic and immunophenotypic parameters. Liver and spleen samples were collected for parasitological quantification, and spleen samples were used to access the cytokine profile. Results When measuring total IgG and IgG1 anti-Leishmania levels after the third vaccination and L. infantum challenge, it was evident that all vaccines were able to induce humoral immune response. Regarding the innate immune response, increased levels of NK CD3-CD49+ cells were the hallmark of all vaccinated groups, whereas only the Leish-Tec® group displayed a high frequency of CD14+ monocytes after L. infantum challenge. Moreover, CD3+CD4+ T cells were the main circulating lymphocytes induced after L. infantum challenge with all evaluated vaccines. Importantly, after L. infantum challenge, splenocytes from the Leishmune® vaccine produced high levels of IL-2, whereas a prominent type 1 immune response was the hallmark of the LBSap vaccine, which presented high levels of IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ. The efficacy analysis using real-time polymerase chain reaction demonstrated a reduction in the parasitism in the spleen (Leishmune®: 64 %; LBSap: 42 %; and Leish-Tec®: 36 %) and liver (Leishmune®: 71 %; LBSap: 62 %; and Leish-Tec®: 48 %). Conclusions The dataset led to the conclusion that the LBSap vaccination was able to induce immune and efficacy profiles comparable with those of commercial vaccines, thus demonstrating its potential as a promising vaccine candidate for visceral leishmaniasis control. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1752-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludmila Zanandreis de Mendonça
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Lucilene Aparecida Resende
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.,Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Mariana Ferreira Lanna
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.,Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Dian de Oliveira Aguiar-Soares
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Bruno Mendes Roatt
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Renata Alves de Oliveira E Castro
- Laboratório de Pesquisas Clínicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Maurício Azevedo Batista
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Denise Silveira-Lemos
- Laboratório de Biomarcadores de Diagnóstico e Monitoração, Centro de Pesquisa René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Juliana de Assis Silva Gomes
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | - Simone Aparecida Rezende
- Laboratório de Pesquisas Clínicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Olindo Assis Martins-Filho
- Laboratório de Biomarcadores de Diagnóstico e Monitoração, Centro de Pesquisa René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Corrêa-Oliveira
- Laboratório de Imunologia Celular e Molecular, Centro de Pesquisa René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Walderez Ornelas Dutra
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Barbosa Reis
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rodolfo Cordeiro Giunchetti
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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Resende LA, Aguiar-Soares RDDO, Gama-Ker H, Roatt BM, de Mendonça LZ, Alves MLR, da Silveira-Lemos D, Corrêa-Oliveira R, Martins-Filho OA, Araújo MSS, Fujiwara RT, Gontijo NF, Reis AB, Giunchetti RC. Impact of LbSapSal Vaccine in Canine Immunological and Parasitological Features before and after Leishmania chagasi-Challenge. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0161169. [PMID: 27556586 PMCID: PMC4996460 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2015] [Accepted: 07/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Dogs represent the most important domestic reservoir of L. chagasi (syn. L. infantum). A vaccine against canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) would be an important tool for decreasing the anxiety related to possible L. chagasi infection and for controlling human visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Because the sand fly salivary proteins are potent immunogens obligatorily co-deposited during transmission of Leishmania parasites, their inclusion in an anti-Leishmania vaccine has been investigated in past decades. We investigated the immunogenicity of the "LbSapSal" vaccine (L. braziliensis antigens, saponin as adjuvant, and Lutzomyia longipalpis salivary gland extract) in dogs at baseline (T0), during the post-vaccination protocol (T3rd) and after early (T90) and late (T885) times following L. chagasi-challenge. Our major data indicated that immunization with "LbSapSal" is able to induce biomarkers characterized by enhanced amounts of type I (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, interleukin [IL]-12, interferon [IFN]-γ) cytokines and reduction in type II cytokines (IL-4 and TGF-β), even after experimental challenge. The establishment of a prominent pro-inflammatory immune response after "LbSapSal" immunization supported the increased levels of nitric oxide production, favoring a reduction in spleen parasitism (78.9%) and indicating long-lasting protection against L. chagasi infection. In conclusion, these results confirmed the hypothesis that the "LbSapSal" vaccination is a potential tool to control the Leishmania chagasi infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucilene Aparecida Resende
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Dian de Oliveira Aguiar-Soares
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Henrique Gama-Ker
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Bruno Mendes Roatt
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ludmila Zanandreis de Mendonça
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Marina Luiza Rodrigues Alves
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Denise da Silveira-Lemos
- Laboratório de Biomarcadores de Diagnóstico e Monitoração, Centro de Pesquisa René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Corrêa-Oliveira
- Laboratório de Imunologia Celular e Molecular, Centro de Pesquisa René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Olindo Assis Martins-Filho
- Laboratório de Biomarcadores de Diagnóstico e Monitoração, Centro de Pesquisa René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Márcio Sobreira Silva Araújo
- Laboratório de Biomarcadores de Diagnóstico e Monitoração, Centro de Pesquisa René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Toshio Fujiwara
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Genômica de Parasitos – Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Nelder Figueiredo Gontijo
- Laboratório de Fisiologia de Insetos Hematófagos, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Barbosa Reis
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Laboratório de Imunologia Celular e Molecular, Centro de Pesquisa René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rodolfo Cordeiro Giunchetti
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Laboratório de Biomarcadores de Diagnóstico e Monitoração, Centro de Pesquisa René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- * E-mail: ;
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Eberhardt E, Mondelaers A, Hendrickx S, Van den Kerkhof M, Maes L, Caljon G. Molecular detection of infection homogeneity and impact of miltefosine treatment in a Syrian golden hamster model of Leishmania donovani and L. infantum visceral leishmaniasis. Parasitol Res 2016; 115:4061-70. [PMID: 27412759 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-016-5179-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Control of visceral leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum and Leishmania donovani primarily relies on chemotherapy using an increasingly compromised repertoire of antileishmanial compounds. For evaluation of novel drugs, the Syrian golden hamster is considered as a clinically relevant laboratory model. In this study, two molecular parasite detection assays were developed targeting cathepsin-like cysteine protease B (CPB) DNA and 18S rRNA to achieve absolute amastigote quantification in the major target organs liver and spleen. Both quantitative PCR (qPCR) techniques showed excellent agreement with a strong correlation with the conventional microscopic reading of Giemsa-stained tissue smears. Using multiple single tissue pieces and all three detection methods, we confirmed homogeneity of infection in liver and spleen and the robustness of extrapolating whole organ burdens from a small single tissue piece. Comparison of pre- and post-treatment burdens in infected hamsters using the three detection methods consistently revealed a stronger parasite reduction in the spleen compared to the liver, indicating an organ-dependent clearance efficacy for miltefosine. In conclusion, this study in the hamster demonstrated high homogeneity of infection in liver and spleen and advocates the use of molecular detection methods for assessment of low (post-treatment) tissue burdens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline Eberhardt
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Room S7.24, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Annelies Mondelaers
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Room S7.24, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Sarah Hendrickx
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Room S7.24, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Magali Van den Kerkhof
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Room S7.24, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Room S7.24, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Guy Caljon
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Room S7.24, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.
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Ribeiro-Romão RP, Saavedra AF, Da-Cruz AM, Pinto EF, Moreira OC. Development of real-time PCR assays for evaluation of immune response and parasite load in golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) infected by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. Parasit Vectors 2016; 9:361. [PMID: 27350537 PMCID: PMC4924296 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1647-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 06/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected disease with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from small cutaneous nodules to severe mucosal tissue destruction. Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis is the main species attributed to CL in the Americas. However, studies of experimental infection are limited in the murine model due to the self-resolutive pattern of the disease. Previously, our group demonstrated that the hamster model reproduces many of the clinical and histopathological features observed in humans. Herein, we standardized a RT-qPCR gene expression assay to evaluate a panel of immunological markers and a qPCR assay in order to quantify with high sensitivity and reproducibility the parasite load in skin lesions. Methods Hamsters were intradermally infected in the footpad with 105 promastigotes of L. (V.) braziliensis and 110 days post-infection skin lesions and popliteal lymph nodes were removed for RNA and DNA extraction, both from the same tissue fragment. Gene expression of IFN-ɣ, IL-10, TGF-β TNF, IL-4, IL-6, iNOS and arginase were measured using non-infected animal tissue as a calibrator. Parasite load was quantified from DNA extracted from lesions by qPCR targeting Leishmania kDNA and normalized by hamster GAPDH, using a SYBR Green-based absolute quantification methodology. Results A relative quantification RT-qPCR assay was standardized for the evaluation of mRNA levels from skin and lymph node samples of golden hamsters, with PCR efficiencies ranging from 92.3 to 116.4 %. In uninfected animals, higher basal mRNA levels in lymph nodes were observed for IFN-ɣ, TGF-β, TNF and IL-4 (111.4 ± 92.2; 5.6 ± 1.2; 5.3 ± 1.7; and 60.3 ± 26.8, respectively) in comparison to skin. In golden hamsters infected with L. (V.) braziliensis, an increase in the expression of all immunological markers evaluated was observed, ranging from 2.7 ± 0.2 for TGF-β to 1018.5 ± 809.0 for iNOS in skin lesions, and 2.4 ± 1.6 for TGF-β to 600.2 ± 666.4 for iNOS in popliteal lymph nodes. Interestingly, significantly higher levels of IFN-ɣ, TNF and IL-10 mRNA were observed in skin in comparison to lymph nodes, while a lower significant level of arginase mRNA was observed in skin. In parallel, parasite loads were quantified by qPCR from the skin lesions of infected animals, ranging from 27.0 to 6647.0, with a median of 553.4 (416.7–1504.0) parasites/mg skin equivalents, whereas lesion size varied from 0.3 to 3.1 mm. Despite the tendency of larger lesions to present higher parasite load, the correlation observed was not statistically significant. Conclusions In this study, we describe for the first time a sensitive, reproducible and cheaper molecular assay to quantify from the same tissue fragment the gene expression of immunological markers and the parasite load in skin lesions, observing a mixed profile of immune response in the hamster model infected by L. (V.) braziliensis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1647-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea Franco Saavedra
- Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Médicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ/RJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Alda Maria Da-Cruz
- Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Médicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ/RJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Fonseca Pinto
- Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Médicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ/RJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Otacilio C Moreira
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Doenças Endêmicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ/RJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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30
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Moreira PRR, Fernando FS, Montassier HJ, André MR, de Oliveira Vasconcelos R. Polarized M2 macrophages in dogs with visceral leishmaniasis. Vet Parasitol 2016; 226:69-73. [PMID: 27514887 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.06.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Revised: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The objective of the present study was to analyze the skin (nasal surface and ear regions), lymph nodes (popliteal and pre-scapular), spleen and liver of dogs with visceral leishmaniasis (VL), in order to investigate the relationship between the parasite load measured as DNA copy number of Alpha gene of DNA polymerase of Leishmania infantum by quantitative PCR and the number of M2 macrophages by immunohistochemistry. A set of 29 naturally infected dogs from an endemic area for VL were sampled and another set of six dogs negative for VL and from a non-endemic area were analyzed as the control group (C). The spleen presented the highest number of Leishmania DNA copies, with significant differences between the groups G1 and G2 (with and without skin lesions, respectively). The M2 phenotype immunostaining predominated among the macrophages in granulomas and inflammatory infiltrates of samples from the skin, lymph nodes and spleens examined. The presence of M2 macrophages in dogs from infected group differed significantly from the control group, in all organs analyzed, excepted liver. The highest proportion of M2 macrophages coincided with the highest parasitism loads found in more susceptible organs of VL dogs, even in the skin, considered a more resistant organ, while the liver showed low parasitism load and low immunostaining for M2 macrophages with no significant differences between infected and negative groups. It was concluded that the predominance of M2 phenotype in VL dogs favored the multiplication of Leishmania infantum in organs of dogs that are more susceptible to Leishmania infection, as skin, lymph nodes and spleen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Rodrigues Reina Moreira
- FCAV/UNESP (Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias and Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista), Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil.
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31
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Bifeld E, Tejera Nevado P, Bartsch J, Eick J, Clos J. A versatile qPCR assay to quantify trypanosomatidic infections of host cells and tissues. Med Microbiol Immunol 2016; 205:449-58. [PMID: 27283847 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-016-0460-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 05/27/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The majority of PCR-based detection systems for Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi aim at high sensitivity and specificity, rather than an accurate parasite load quantification required for experimental infections in basic research and drug development. Here, we describe the use of a dual-labelled probe qPCR to detect and quantify intracellular Old World Leishmania spp. and T. cruzi amastigotes after in vitro and in vivo infection experiments. We show that quantification of parasite actin gene DNA relative to the host cell actin gene DNA accurately reflects the parasite load relative to the host cells and that qPCR quantification is highly sensible to drug-induced cell death. Furthermore, qPCR allows to determine parasite loads even after host cell detachment and/or rupture, important when comparing untreated versus drug-treated samples. The method is also suitable for the quantification of parasites from infected mouse tissue, making it suitable for drug testing and mutant phenotype analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenia Bifeld
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht St 74, 20359, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Paloma Tejera Nevado
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht St 74, 20359, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Janika Bartsch
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht St 74, 20359, Hamburg, Germany.,Beuth Hochschule für Technik, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Eick
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht St 74, 20359, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Joachim Clos
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht St 74, 20359, Hamburg, Germany.
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32
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Petitdidier E, Pagniez J, Papierok G, Vincendeau P, Lemesre JL, Bras-Gonçalves R. Recombinant Forms of Leishmania amazonensis Excreted/Secreted Promastigote Surface Antigen (PSA) Induce Protective Immune Responses in Dogs. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004614. [PMID: 27223609 PMCID: PMC4880307 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2015] [Accepted: 03/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Preventive vaccination is a highly promising strategy for interrupting leishmaniasis transmission that can, additionally, contribute to elimination. A vaccine formulation based on naturally excreted secreted (ES) antigens was prepared from L. infantum promastigote culture supernatant. This vaccine achieved successful results in Phase III trials and was licensed and marketed as CaniLeish. We recently showed that newly identified ES promastigote surface antigen (PSA), from both viable promastigotes and axenically-grown amastigotes, represented the major constituent and the highly immunogenic antigen of L. infantum and L. amazonensis ES products. We report here that three immunizations with either the recombinant ES LaPSA-38S (rPSA) or its carboxy terminal part LaPSA-12S (Cter-rPSA), combined with QA-21 as adjuvant, confer high levels of protection in naive L. infantum-infected Beagle dogs, as checked by bone marrow parasite absence in respectively 78.8% and 80% of vaccinated dogs at 6 months post-challenge. The parasite burden in infected vaccinated dogs was significantly reduced compared to placebo group, as measured by q-PCR. Moreover, our results reveal humoral and cellular immune response clear-cut differences between vaccinated and control dogs. An early increase in specific IgG2 antibodies was observed in rPSA/QA-21- and Cter-rPSA/QA-21-immunized dogs only. They were found functionally active in vitro and were highly correlated with vaccine protection. In vaccinated protected dogs, IFN-γ and NO productions, as well as anti-leishmanial macrophage activity, were increased. These data strongly suggest that ES PSA or its carboxy-terminal part, in recombinant forms, induce protection in a canine model of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis by inducing a Th1-dominant immune response and an appropriate specific antibody response. These data suggest that they could be considered as important active components in vaccine candidates. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a potentially fatal disease caused by L. infantum, represents perfectly the need for a “One Health” approach for disease control, since it affects both humans and dogs, with similar clinical outcome and T-cell mediated immunity commitment. The dog vaccine development is highly required as our present resources for VL treatment and control have a limited effectiveness. It would represent the most convenient and efficient control way to decrease the dog-sandfly-dog transmission cycle, essential for human incidence reduction. The results indicate that recombinant forms of soluble promastigote surface antigen (PSA) are very promising effective vaccine candidates against canine VL. The elicited immune responses effectively reduced parasite load in in vitro pre-infected macrophages and in experimentally infected dogs. Through this approach, we aim to reduce the number of infected animals developing progressive infections thereby positively influencing human public health.
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MESH Headings
- Adaptive Immunity
- Adjuvants, Immunologic
- Animals
- Antibodies, Protozoan/blood
- Antigens, Protozoan/genetics
- Antigens, Protozoan/immunology
- Antigens, Surface/genetics
- Antigens, Surface/immunology
- Bone Marrow/parasitology
- Disease Models, Animal
- Dog Diseases/immunology
- Dog Diseases/parasitology
- Dog Diseases/prevention & control
- Dogs
- Female
- Immunity, Cellular
- Immunoglobulin G/blood
- Interferon-gamma/biosynthesis
- Leishmania infantum/immunology
- Leishmania infantum/physiology
- Leishmania mexicana/chemistry
- Leishmania mexicana/genetics
- Leishmania mexicana/immunology
- Leishmaniasis Vaccines/administration & dosage
- Leishmaniasis Vaccines/genetics
- Leishmaniasis Vaccines/immunology
- Leishmaniasis, Visceral/immunology
- Leishmaniasis, Visceral/parasitology
- Leishmaniasis, Visceral/prevention & control
- Leishmaniasis, Visceral/veterinary
- Macrophages/immunology
- Nitric Oxide/biosynthesis
- Parasite Load
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Protozoan Proteins/genetics
- Protozoan Proteins/immunology
- Recombinant Proteins/administration & dosage
- Recombinant Proteins/immunology
- Th1 Cells/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julie Pagniez
- IRD, UMR 177 INTERTRYP IRD CIRAD, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Philippe Vincendeau
- University Hospital of Bordeaux, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Bordeaux, France
- Université de Bordeaux, UMR 177 INTERTRYP IRD CIRAD, Bordeaux, France
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Detection and quantification of Leishmania infantum in naturally and experimentally infected animal samples. Vet Parasitol 2016; 226:57-64. [PMID: 27514885 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Revised: 05/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Leishmania infantum is one of the causative agents of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). VL is the most severe form of leishmaniasis and can be fatal if it is not properly treated. Although several PCR works are intended to detect L. infantum, in silico analysis of available primers and/or primer-probes reveals potential cross species amplification. Here, a TaqMan-based quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) assay was developed for specific detection and quantitation of L. infantum in tissue samples from experimentally or naturally infected animals, mice or dogs, respectively. For this assay, primers and probes were designed for the kinetoplast minicircle DNA of L. infantum. The qPCR assay achieved a detection limit of 0.01pg of parasite DNA, and allowed specific amplification of L. infantum in both asymptomatic and symptomatic naturally infected dogs with inter-assay variation coefficients between 0.05-0.11. There was no cross amplification with dog DNA or with L. braziliensis, L. donovani, L. major, L. tropica or Trypanosoma cruzi. In addition, our assay detected a significantly higher parasite load in symptomatic than in the asymptomatic animals (p<0.0001). We believe this approach will be a valuable tool for the specific detection of L. infantum in regions of sympatric transmission of VL-causing parasites.
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Katakura K. An experimental challenge model of visceral leishmaniasis by Leishmania donovani promastigotes in mice. Parasitol Int 2016; 65:603-606. [PMID: 26987675 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2016.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2015] [Revised: 02/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Although visceral leishmaniasis is a fatal disease in humans and dogs, the use of mouse models is important for obtaining a better understanding of the pathogenesis, immunity, and host-parasite interactions of this disease. Such models are also useful for the evaluation of vaccines and chemotherapies for treatment of visceral leishmaniasis. Here, we present our method of experimental inoculation of mice with Leishmania donovani promastigotes. Nutrient-enriched undefined media may be beneficial for laboratory maintenance of promastigotes for maintaining their virulence or infectivity in mice. With this method, we could preserve the infectivity of promastigote lines recovered from inoculated animals and use these lines for further in vivo experiments. Furthermore, the use of cryopreserved stabilates is highly recommended for the reproducibility of experiments. To assess a newly developed method for determination of parasite burden in infected animal tissues, initial comparison of parasite burden in the liver obtained in the classic Leishman-Donovan units (LDU) with values obtained from the new method is recommended. As an example, the association between parasite burden determined by LDU and real-time PCR assay targeting the leishmanial gp63 gene in the liver of mice is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Katakura
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan.
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35
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Colombo FA, Pereira-Chioccola VL, Meira CDS, Motoie G, Gava R, Hiramoto RM, de Almeida ME, da Silva AJ, Cutolo AA, Menz I. Performance of a real time PCR for leishmaniasis diagnosis using a L. (L.) infantum hypothetical protein as target in canine samples. Exp Parasitol 2015; 157:156-62. [PMID: 26297683 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2015.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Revised: 07/20/2015] [Accepted: 08/16/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis represents an important public health issue in different parts of the world, requiring that measures be put in place to control the spread of the disease worldwide. The canine leishmaniasis diagnosis is not easy based on clinical signs, since dogs may not develop the infection with recognizable signs. Thus, the laboratorial diagnosis is essential to ascertain the incidence and prevalence of canine leishmaniasis especially in areas with major control efforts. Although, the diagnosis can be performed by the use of different approaches, the molecular methods such as PCR have become an indispensable tool for leishmaniases diagnosis. A TaqMan assay for real-time PCR (Linj31-qPCR) was developed to determine the parasite occurrence in clinical cases of leishmaniasis. The assay targets an L. (L.) infantum hypothetical protein region. The specificity of the assay was verified by using Leishmania World Health Organization reference strains including parasites belonging to subgenus L. (Leishmania), subgenus L. (Viannia), other Leishmania species and Trypanosoma cruzi. The sensitivity was verified by using isolates of L. (L.) amazonensis and L. (L.) infantum. The usefulness of the assay for diagnosis was ascertained by testing 277 samples from dogs in regions endemic for visceral and/or cutaneous leishmaniasis and from regions in which leishmaniasis was not endemic in São Paulo State, Brazil. Diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) was determined on these animals by conventional PCR and three serological tests. The dog samples were divided into four groups. I, dogs with CVL (n = 101); II, dogs with other diseases and without CVL (n = 97); III, dogs with American cutaneous leishmaniasis (n = 7), and, IV, dogs without CVL (n = 72) from areas where leishmaniasis was not endemic as control group. Results indicated that Linj31-qPCR was able to identify parasites belonging to subgenus L. (Leishmania) with no cross-amplification with other parasite subgenera. The Linj31-qPCR detected Leishmania parasites DNA in 98% of samples from Group I. In conclusion this methodology can be used as routine diagnostic tools to detect parasites from subgenus Leishmania.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Antonio Colombo
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Micro-organismos da Universidade Federal de Alfenas, Alfenas, MG, Brazil
| | - Vera Lucia Pereira-Chioccola
- Laboratorio de Biologia Molecular de Parasitas, Centro de Parasitologia e Micologia do Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Cristina da Silva Meira
- Laboratorio de Biologia Molecular de Parasitas, Centro de Parasitologia e Micologia do Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Motoie
- Laboratorio de Biologia Molecular de Parasitas, Centro de Parasitologia e Micologia do Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Gava
- Laboratorio de Biologia Molecular de Parasitas, Centro de Parasitologia e Micologia do Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Roberto M Hiramoto
- Nucleo de Parasitoses Sistemicas, Centro de Parasitologia e Micologia do Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcos E de Almeida
- Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Service, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Alexandre J da Silva
- Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Service, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Andre Antonio Cutolo
- Setor de Controle de Zoonoses e Vetores, Prefeitura Municipal de Monte Mor, Monte Mor, SP, Brazil
| | - Ingrid Menz
- Ingrid Menz Micro Empresa, Campinas, SP, Brazil
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Corpas-López V, Morillas-Márquez F, Navarro-Moll MC, Merino-Espinosa G, Díaz-Sáez V, Martín-Sánchez J. (-)-α-Bisabolol, a Promising Oral Compound for the Treatment of Visceral Leishmaniasis. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2015; 78:1202-1207. [PMID: 26076227 DOI: 10.1021/np5008697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to assess the in vitro and in vivo activity of (-)-α-bisabolol (1) against the etiological agents of visceral leishmaniasis. Bone-marrow-derived macrophages were infected with Leishmania infantum or L. donovani promastigotes and incubated with (-)-α-bisabolol at different concentrations. Pentamidine isethionate and meglumine antimoniate were used as reference drugs. Inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) and cytotoxic concentration 50% (CC50) were calculated. Balb/c mice were infected intraperitoneally with stationary-phase promastigotes. They were treated with (-)-α-bisabolol at different doses orally, meglumine antimoniate at 104 mg Sb(V)/kg, or a combination of both. (-)-α-Bisabolol proved to be innocuous to mammal cells and active against L. infantum and L. donovani intracellular amastigotes (IC50 55 and 39 μM, respectively). Compound 1 also proved to be active in an in vivo model of visceral leishmaniasis due to L. infantum, as it reduced parasite load in the spleen and liver by 71.60% and 89.22%, respectively, at 200 mg/kg without showing toxicity. (-)-α-Bisabolol (1) is a nontoxic compound that was proven to be active against visceral leishmaniasis in an in vivo murine model orally. It was more effective than meglumine antimoniate at reducing spleen parasite load and as effective as this antimonial drug in the liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoriano Corpas-López
- †Departamento de Parasitología and ‡Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Francisco Morillas-Márquez
- †Departamento de Parasitología and ‡Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - M Concepción Navarro-Moll
- †Departamento de Parasitología and ‡Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Gemma Merino-Espinosa
- †Departamento de Parasitología and ‡Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Victoriano Díaz-Sáez
- †Departamento de Parasitología and ‡Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Joaquina Martín-Sánchez
- †Departamento de Parasitología and ‡Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
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Souza CC, Barreto TDO, da Silva SM, Pinto AWJ, Figueiredo MM, Rocha OGF, Cangussú SD, Tafuri WL. A potential link among antioxidant enzymes, histopathology and trace elements in canine visceral leishmaniasis. Int J Exp Pathol 2014; 95:260-70. [PMID: 24766461 PMCID: PMC4170968 DOI: 10.1111/iep.12080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2013] [Accepted: 02/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) is a severe and fatal systemic chronic inflammatory disease. We investigated the alterations in, and potential associations among, antioxidant enzymes, trace elements and histopathology in CVL. Blood and tissue levels of Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were measured in mixed-breed dogs naturally infected with Leishmania infantum chagasi, symptomatic (n = 19) and asymptomatic (n = 11). Serum levels of copper, iron, zinc, selenium and nitric oxide, and plasma lipid peroxidation were measured. Histological and morphometric analyses were conducted of lesions in liver, spleen and lymph nodes. We found lower blood catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity to be correlated with lower iron and selenium respectively. However, higher activity of Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase was not correlated with the increase in copper and decreased in zinc observed in infected animals compared to controls. Organ tissue was characterized by lower enzyme activity in infected dogs than in controls, but this was not correlated with trace elements. Lipid peroxidation was higher in symptomatic than in asymptomatic and control dogs and was associated with lesions such as chronic inflammatory reaction, congestion, haemosiderin and fibrosis. Systemic iron deposition was observed primarily in the symptomatic dogs showing a higher tissue parasite load. Dogs with symptomatic CVL displayed enhanced LPO and Fe tissue deposition associated with decreased levels of antioxidant enzymes. These results showed new points in the pathology of CVL and might open new treatment perspectives associated with antioxidants and the role of iron in the pathogenesis of CVL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina C Souza
- Departamento de Patologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brasil
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da Fonseca Pires S, Fialho LC, Silva SO, Melo MN, de Souza CC, Tafuri WL, Bruna Romero O, de Andrade HM. Identification of virulence factors in Leishmania infantum strains by a proteomic approach. J Proteome Res 2014; 13:1860-72. [PMID: 24617796 DOI: 10.1021/pr400923g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Knowledge of Leishmania virulence is essential for understanding how the contact between the pathogen and host cells can lead to pathogenesis. Virulence in two L. infantum strains was characterized using macrophages and hamsters. Next, we used difference gel electrophoresis (DIGE) and mass spectrometry to identify the differentially expressed proteins. A total of 63 spots were identified corresponding to 36 proteins; 20 were up-regulated, in which 16 had been previously associated with Leishmania virulence. Considering our results and what has been reported before, we suggest the hypothesis that L. infatum virulence could be a result of the increased expression of KMP-11 and metallopeptidase, associated with an improved parasite-host interacting efficiency and degradation of the protective host proteins and peptides, respectively. Other factors are tryparedoxin peroxidase and peroxidoxin, which protect the parasite against the stress response, and 14-3-3 protein-like, which can prolong infected host cell lifetime. Proteins as chaperones and endoribonuclease L-PSP can increase parasite survival. Enolase is able to perform versatile functions in the cell, acting as a chaperone or in the transcription process, or as a plasminogen receptor or in cell migration events. As expected in more invasive cells with high replication rates, energy consumption and protein synthesis are higher, with up-regulation of Rieske iron-sulfur protein precursor, EF-2, S-adenosylhomocysteine, and phosphomannomutase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone da Fonseca Pires
- Departamento de Parasitologia, ‡Departamento de Patologia, and §Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais , 31270-910, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Sudarshan M, Sundar S. Parasite load estimation by qPCR differentiates between asymptomatic and symptomatic infection in Indian visceral leishmaniasis. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2014; 80:40-2. [PMID: 25023070 DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2014.01.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2013] [Revised: 01/11/2014] [Accepted: 01/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Using quantitative PCR (qPCR), we differentiated asymptomatic and symptomatic Indian Leishmania donovani infection. qPCR on blood of 40 visceral leishmaniasis, 130 endemic, and 40 non-endemic healthy controls showed 500 times less (P < .0001) parasitemia in asymptomatic compared to the symptomatic ones and threshold of 5 parasite genome/mL for the clinical disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Medhavi Sudarshan
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221 005, UP, India
| | - Shyam Sundar
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221 005, UP, India.
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SYBR green-based detection of Leishmania infantum DNA using peripheral blood samples. J Parasit Dis 2014; 40:81-7. [PMID: 27065603 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-014-0452-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2013] [Accepted: 02/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasitological methods for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) require invasive sampling procedures. The aim of this study was to detect Leishmania infantum (L. infantum) DNA by real time-PCR method in peripheral blood of symptomatic VL patient and compared its performance with nested PCR, an established molecular method with very high diagnostic indices. 47 parasitologically confirmed VL patients diagnosed by direct agglutination test (DAT > 3200), bone marrow aspiration and presented characteristic clinical features (fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and anemia) and 40 controls (non-endemic healthy control-30, Malaria-2, Toxoplasma gondii-2, Mycobacterium tuberculosis-2, HBV-1, HCV-1, HSV-1 and CMV-1) were enrolled in this study. SYBR-green based real time-PCR and nested PCR was performed to amplify the Kinetoplast DNA minicircle gene using the DNA extracted from Buffy coat. From among 47 patients, 45 (95.7 %) were positive by both nested-PCR and real time-PCR. These results indicate that real time-PCR was not only as sensitive as a nested-PCR assay for detection of Leishmania kDNA in clinical sample, but also more rapid. The advantage of real time-PCR based methods over nested-PCR is simple to perform, more faster in which nested-PCR requires post-PCR processing and reducing contamination risk.
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LBSapSal-vaccinated dogs exhibit increased circulating T-lymphocyte subsets (CD4⁺ and CD8⁺) as well as a reduction of parasitism after challenge with Leishmania infantum plus salivary gland of Lutzomyia longipalpis. Parasit Vectors 2014; 7:61. [PMID: 24507702 PMCID: PMC3943450 DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-7-61] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2013] [Accepted: 01/18/2014] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The development of a protective vaccine against canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) is an alternative approach for interrupting the domestic cycle of Leishmania infantum. Given the importance of sand fly salivary proteins as potent immunogens obligatorily co-deposited during transmission of Leishmania parasites, their inclusion in an anti-Leishmania vaccine has been investigated in the last few decades. In this context, we previously immunized dogs with a vaccine composed of L. braziliensis antigens plus saponin as the adjuvant and sand fly salivary gland extract (LBSapSal vaccine). This vaccine elicited an increase in both anti-saliva and anti-Leishmania IgG isotypes, higher counts of specific circulating CD8⁺ T cells, and high NO production. METHODS We investigated the immunogenicity and protective effect of LBSapSal vaccination after intradermal challenge with 1 × 10⁷ late-log-phase L. infantum promastigotes in the presence of sand fly saliva of Lutzomyia longipalpis. The dogs were followed for up to 885 days after challenge. RESULTS The LBSapSal vaccine presents extensive antigenic diversity with persistent humoral and cellular immune responses, indicating resistance against CVL is triggered by high levels of total IgG and its subtypes (IgG1 and IgG2); expansion of circulating CD5⁺, CD4⁺, and CD8⁺ T lymphocytes and is Leishmania-specific; and reduction of splenic parasite load. CONCLUSIONS These results encourage further study of vaccine strategies addressing Leishmania antigens in combination with proteins present in the saliva of the vector.
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Soares IR, Silva SO, Moreira FM, Prado LG, Fantini P, Maranhão RDPA, da Silva Filho JM, Melo MN, Palhares MS. First evidence of autochthonous cases of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum in horse (Equus caballus) in the Americas and mixed infection of Leishmania infantum and Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. Vet Parasitol 2013; 197:665-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2012] [Revised: 05/28/2013] [Accepted: 06/12/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Daftarian PM, Stone GW, Kovalski L, Kumar M, Vosoughi A, Urbieta M, Blackwelder P, Dikici E, Serafini P, Duffort S, Boodoo R, Rodríguez-Cortés A, Lemmon V, Deo S, Alberola J, Perez VL, Daunert S, Ager AL. A targeted and adjuvanted nanocarrier lowers the effective dose of liposomal amphotericin B and enhances adaptive immunity in murine cutaneous leishmaniasis. J Infect Dis 2013; 208:1914-22. [PMID: 23901083 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jit378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Amphotericin B (AmB), the most effective drug against leishmaniasis, has serious toxicity. As Leishmania species are obligate intracellular parasites of antigen presenting cells (APC), an immunopotentiating APC-specific AmB nanocarrier would be ideally suited to reduce the drug dosage and regimen requirements in leishmaniasis treatment. Here, we report a nanocarrier that results in effective treatment shortening of cutaneous leishmaniasis in a mouse model, while also enhancing L. major specific T-cell immune responses in the infected host. METHODS We used a Pan-DR-binding epitope (PADRE)-derivatized-dendrimer (PDD), complexed with liposomal amphotericin B (LAmB) in an L. major mouse model and analyzed the therapeutic efficacy of low-dose PDD/LAmB vs full dose LAmB. RESULTS PDD was shown to escort LAmB to APCs in vivo, enhanced the drug efficacy by 83% and drug APC targeting by 10-fold and significantly reduced parasite burden and toxicity. Fortuitously, the PDD immunopotentiating effect significantly enhanced parasite-specific T-cell responses in immunocompetent infected mice. CONCLUSIONS PDD reduced the effective dose and toxicity of LAmB and resulted in elicitation of strong parasite specific T-cell responses. A reduced effective therapeutic dose was achieved by selective LAmB delivery to APC, bypassing bystander cells, reducing toxicity and inducing antiparasite immunity.
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Reis LES, Coura-Vital W, Roatt BM, Bouillet LÉM, Ker HG, Fortes de Brito RC, Resende DDM, Carneiro M, Giunchetti RC, Marques MJ, Carneiro CM, Reis AB. Molecular diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis: a comparative study of three methods using skin and spleen from dogs with natural Leishmania infantum infection. Vet Parasitol 2013; 197:498-503. [PMID: 23953760 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2013] [Revised: 07/03/2013] [Accepted: 07/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and its variations represent highly sensitive and specific methods for Leishmania DNA detection and subsequent canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) diagnosis. The aim of this work was to compare three different molecular diagnosis techniques (conventional PCR [cPCR], seminested PCR [snPCR], and quantitative PCR [qPCR]) in samples of skin and spleen from 60 seropositive dogs by immunofluorescence antibody test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Parasitological analysis was conducted by culture of bone marrow aspirate and optical microscopic assessment of ear skin and spleen samples stained with Giemsa, the standard tests for CVL diagnosis. The primers L150/L152 and LINR4/LIN17/LIN19 were used to amplify the conserved region of the Leishmania kDNA minicircle in the cPCR, and snPCR and qPCR were performed using the DNA polymerase gene (DNA pol α) primers from Leishmania infantum. The parasitological analysis revealed parasites in 61.7% of the samples. Sensitivities were 89.2%, 86.5%, and 97.3% in the skin and 81.1%, 94.6%, and 100.0% in spleen samples used for cPCR, snPCR, and qPCR, respectively. We demonstrated that the qPCR method was the best technique to detect L. infantum in both skin and spleen samples. However, we recommend the use of skin due to the high sensitivity and sampling being less invasive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Levi Eduardo Soares Reis
- Laboratório de Pesquisas Clínicas, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas/CiPharma, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Doenças Tropicais - INCT-DT, CNPq, Brazil
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Ferreira SDA, Almeida GG, Silva SDO, Vogas GP, Fujiwara RT, de Andrade ASR, Melo MN. Nasal, oral and ear swabs for canine visceral leishmaniasis diagnosis: new practical approaches for detection of Leishmania infantum DNA. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2013; 7:e2150. [PMID: 23593518 PMCID: PMC3617150 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2012] [Accepted: 02/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential use of nasal, oral, and ear swabs for molecular diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) in an endemic urban area in Brazil. Methodology/Principal Findings Sixty-two naturally infected and ten healthy dogs were enrolled in this study. Bone marrow aspirates, peripheral blood, skin biopsy, and conjunctival, nasal, oral, and ear swabs were collected. All samples, except blood, were submitted to conventional PCR (cPCR) and quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) to detect and quantify Leishmania infantum DNA, respectively. All dogs were submitted to thorough clinical analysis and were included based on a combination of serological (ELISA immunoassay and immunofluorescent antibody test) and parasitological methods. The cPCR positivity obtained from nasal swab samples was 87% (54/62), equivalent to those from other samples (P>0.05). Positive results were obtained for 79% (22/28) in oral swabs and 43% (12/28) in ear swab samples. A significant difference was observed between these data (P = 0.013), and the frequency of positive results from oral swab was equivalent to those from other samples (P>0.05). The use of ear swab samples for cPCR assays is promising because its result was equivalent to skin biopsy data (P>0.05). The qPCR data revealed that parasite loads in mucosal tissues were similar (P>0.05), but significantly lower than the parasite burden observed in bone marrow and skin samples (P<0.05). Conclusions Nasal and oral swab samples showed a high potential for the qualitative molecular diagnosis of CVL because their results were equivalent to those observed in samples collected invasively. Considering that mucosae swab collections are painless, noninvasive, fast and practical, the combination of these samples would be useful in massive screening of dogs. This work highlights the potential of practical approaches for molecular diagnosis of CVL and human leishmaniasis infections. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is an important public health problem in different regions of the world. It presents high lethality in human cases without suitable treatment and is considered one of the most important disorders in dogs, the main domestic reservoir of the etiological agent of VL (Leishmania infantum). Most cases of VL in Latin America occur in Brazil, and control campaigns have not shown satisfactory results. The diagnosis of human and canine infection is critical for making decisions regarding surveillance and control policies. In this work, we propose a non-invasive collection method of mucosal and epithelial cells for the molecular diagnosis of canine VL by conventional polymerase chain reaction (cPCR) and for the estimation of parasite load by quantitative real time PCR (qPCR). We used nasal, oral, and ear swabs as practical, simple, painless and fast alternatives for collecting samples. These procedures are according to the need of more simplified methods for detecting L. infantum infection by using robust diagnostic techniques such as cPCR and qPCR. Additionally, potential applications for diagnosing human VL are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sidney de Almeida Ferreira
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brasil
| | - Gregório Guilherme Almeida
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brasil
| | - Soraia de Oliveira Silva
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brasil
| | - Gabriela Peixoto Vogas
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brasil
| | - Ricardo Toshio Fujiwara
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brasil
| | - Antero Silva Ribeiro de Andrade
- Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear, Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear, Campus da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brasil
| | - Maria Norma Melo
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brasil
- * E-mail:
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Srivastava A, Sweat JM, Azizan A, Vesely B, Kyle DE. Real-Time PCR to QuantifyLeishmania donovaniin Hamsters. J Parasitol 2013; 99:145-50. [DOI: 10.1645/ge-3221.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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Sensitivity of PCR and real-time PCR for the diagnosis of human visceral leishmaniasis using peripheral blood. ASIAN PACIFIC JOURNAL OF TROPICAL DISEASE 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/s2222-1808(13)60003-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Roatt BM, Aguiar-Soares RDDO, Vitoriano-Souza J, Coura-Vital W, Braga SL, Corrêa-Oliveira R, Martins-Filho OA, Teixeira-Carvalho A, de Lana M, Gontijo NF, Marques MJ, Giunchetti RC, Reis AB. Performance of LBSap vaccine after intradermal challenge with L. infantum and saliva of Lu. longipalpis: immunogenicity and parasitological evaluation. PLoS One 2012. [PMID: 23189161 PMCID: PMC3506642 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last decade, the search for new vaccines against canine visceral leishmaniasis has intensified. However, the pattern related to immune protection during long periods after experimental infection in vaccine trials is still not fully understood. Herein, we investigated the immunogenicity and parasitological levels after intradermal challenge with Leishmania infantum plus salivary gland extract in dogs immunized with a vaccine composed of L. braziliensis antigens plus saponin as an adjuvant (LBSap vaccine). The LBSap vaccine elicited higher levels of total anti-Leishmania IgG as well as both IgG1 and IgG2. Furthermore, dogs vaccinated had increased levels of lymphocytes, particularly circulating B cells (CD21(+)) and both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T lymphocytes. LBSap also elicited an intense in vitro cell proliferation associated with higher levels of CD4(+) T lymphocytes specific for vaccine soluble antigen and soluble lysate of L. infantum antigen even 885 days after experimental challenge. Furthermore, LBSap vaccinated dogs presented high IFN-γ and low IL-10 and TGF-β1 expression in spleen with significant reduction of parasite load in this tissue. Overall, our results validate the potential of LBSap vaccine to protect against L. infantum experimental infection and strongly support further evaluation of efficiency of LBSap against CVL in natural infection conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Mendes Roatt
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | - Juliana Vitoriano-Souza
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Wendel Coura-Vital
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Samuel Leôncio Braga
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Corrêa-Oliveira
- Laboratório de Imunologia Celular e Molecular, Instituto de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Olindo Assis Martins-Filho
- Laboratório de Biomarcadores de Diagnóstico e Monitoração, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Andréa Teixeira-Carvalho
- Laboratório de Biomarcadores de Diagnóstico e Monitoração, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Marta de Lana
- Laboratório de Doença de Chagas, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Nelder Figueiredo Gontijo
- Laboratório de Fisiologia de Insetos Hematófagos, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Marcos José Marques
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Departamento de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Alfenas, Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rodolfo Cordeiro Giunchetti
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Barbosa Reis
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Moreira NDD, Vitoriano-Souza J, Roatt BM, Vieira PMDA, Ker HG, de Oliveira Cardoso JM, Giunchetti RC, Carneiro CM, de Lana M, Reis AB. Parasite burden in hamsters infected with two different strains of leishmania (Leishmania) infantum: "Leishman Donovan units" versus real-time PCR. PLoS One 2012; 7:e47907. [PMID: 23112869 PMCID: PMC3480442 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0047907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2012] [Accepted: 09/17/2012] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
To develop and test new therapeutics and immune prophylaxis strategies for visceral leishmaniasis (VL), understanding tissue parasitism evolution after experimental infection with Leishmania infantum is important. Experimental infection in a hamster model (Mesocricetus auratus) reproduces several typical aspects of canine and human VL that are closely related to the inoculum’s route. We quantified the parasitism in the liver and spleen of hamsters experimentally infected by various routes (intradermal, intraperitoneal, and intracardiac [IC]) and different strains of L. infantum (MHOM/BR/74/PP75 and Wild) and compared two different methodologies to evaluate tissue parasitism (Leishman Donovan units [LDU] and real-time qPCR). In addition, the quantification of specific total-IgG in the serum of uninfected and infected hamsters was determined by ELISA. The animals were followed for 1, 3, 6 and 9 months post-infection for survival analysis. We found that infection with the Wild strain by the IC route resulted in higher mortality. Positive antibody (IgG) responses were detected with higher peaks at 6 and 9 months in the IC group inoculated with PP75 strain. However, in animals infected with the Wild strain the IgG levels were elevated in all infected groups during all the time evaluated. We also observed by LDU analysis that the IC route lead to higher parasitism in the liver and spleen with both strains. Furthermore, qPCR showed higher sensitivity for identifying animals with low parasitic burden. In conclusion, qPCR can be useful for assessing parasitism in the spleen and liver of a hamster model infected with L. infantum independent of the route of infection, and this technique may become an essential tool for assessing parasite density in the hamster model after experimental treatment or immunization with potential vaccine candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nádia das Dores Moreira
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | - Juliana Vitoriano-Souza
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | - Bruno Mendes Roatt
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | - Paula Melo de Abreu Vieira
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | - Henrique Gama Ker
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | - Jamille Mirelle de Oliveira Cardoso
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | - Rodolfo Cordeiro Giunchetti
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | - Cláudia Martins Carneiro
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil
- Laboratório de Pesquisas Clínicas, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | - Marta de Lana
- Laboratório de Pesquisas Clínicas, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil
- Laboratório de Doença de Chagas, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | - Alexandre Barbosa Reis
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil
- Laboratório de Pesquisas Clínicas, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil
- * E-mail:
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Tiwananthagorn S, Iwabuchi K, Ato M, Sakurai T, Kato H, Katakura K. Involvement of CD4⁺ Foxp3⁺ regulatory T cells in persistence of Leishmania donovani in the liver of alymphoplastic aly/aly mice. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2012; 6:e1798. [PMID: 22928057 PMCID: PMC3424244 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2012] [Accepted: 07/16/2012] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a chronic and fatal disease in humans and dogs caused by the intracellular protozoan parasites, Leishmania donovani and L. infantum (L. chagasi). Relapse of disease is frequent in immunocompromised patients, in which the number of VL cases has been increasing recently. The present study is aimed to improve the understanding of mechanisms of L. donovani persistence in immunocompromised conditions using alymphoplastic aly/aly mice. Hepatic parasite burden, granuloma formation and induction of regulatory T cells were determined for up to 7 months after the intravenous inoculation with L. donovani promastigotes. While control aly/+ mice showed a peak of hepatic parasite growth at 4 weeks post infection (WPI) and resolved the infection by 8 WPI, aly/aly mice showed a similar peak in hepatic parasite burden but maintained persistent in the chronic phase of infection, which was associated with delayed and impaired granuloma maturation. Although hepatic CD4+Foxp3+ but not CD8+Foxp3+ T cells were first detected at 4 WPI in both strains of mice, the number of CD4+Foxp3+ T cells was significantly increased in aly/aly mice from 8 WPI. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated the presence of Foxp3+ T cells in L. donovani–induced hepatic granulomas and perivascular neo-lymphoid aggregates. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of mature granulomas collected by laser microdissection revealed the correlation of Foxp3 and IL-10 mRNA level. Furthermore, treatment of infected aly/aly mice with anti-CD25 or anti-FR4 mAb resulted in significant reductions in both hepatic Foxp3+ cells and parasite burden. Thus, we provide the first evidence that CD4+Foxp3+ Tregs mediate L. donovani persistence in the liver during VL in immunodeficient murine model, a result that will help to establish new strategies of immunotherapy against this intracellular protozoan pathogen. The protozoan parasite Leishmania donovani is the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) with a variety of outcomes ranging from asymptomatic to fatal infection. In the last decade, an increasing number of VL cases in immunocompromised conditions have been reported. Loss of the control of parasite persistence causes relapse of the disease in these patients. To clarify why parasite persistence and disease are caused in an immunocompromised condition, we examined L. donovani infection in alymphoplastic aly/aly mice that completely lack lymph nodes and have disturbed spleen architecture. Although parasites grew in the liver of aly/+ mice for the first 4 weeks post infection (WPI) and parasites were eliminated by 8 WPI, we found that parasites persisted in the liver of aly/aly mice with the ineffective of granuloma formation to kill the parasites. These aly/aly mice showed significant increases in CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in the liver. Consequently, we treated infected mice with anti-CD25 or anti-FR4 mAb to inhibit the function of Tregs, and found significant reductions in both hepatic Foxp3+ cells and parasite burden. These results clearly demonstrated for the first time that the expansion of CD4+Foxp3+ Tregs is involved in hepatic L. donovani persistence in immunodeficient murine model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saruda Tiwananthagorn
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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