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Bodhale N, Saha S, Gurjar D, Grandchamp N, Sarkar A, Saha B. Leishmania donovani mitogen-activated protein kinases as a host-parasite interaction interface. Cytokine 2024; 179:156627. [PMID: 38703436 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2024.156627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2024] [Revised: 04/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis, a major globally re-emerging neglected tropical disease, has a restricted repertoire of chemotherapeutic options due to a narrow therapeutic index, drug resistance, or patient non-compliance due to toxicity. The disease is caused by the parasite Leishmania that resides in two different forms in two different environments: as sessile intracellular amastigotes within mammalian macrophages and as motile promastigotes in sandfly gut. As mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play important roles in cellular differentiation and survival, we studied the expression of Leishmania donovani MAPKs (LdMAPKs). The homology studies by multiple sequence alignment show that excepting LdMAPK1 and LdMAPK2, all thirteen other LdMAPKs share homology with human ERK and p38 isoforms. Expression of LdMAPK4 and LdMAPK5 is less in avirulent promastigotes and amastigotes. Compared to miltefosine-sensitive L. donovani parasites, miltefosine-resistant parasites have higher LdMAPK1, LdMAPK3-5, LdMAPK7-11, LdMAPK13, and LdMAPK14 expression. IL-4-treatment of macrophages down-regulated LdMAPK11, in virulent amastigotes whereas up-regulated LdMAPK5, but down-regulated LdMAPK6, LdMAPK12-15, expression in avirulent amastigotes. IL-4 up-regulated LdMAPK1 expression in both virulent and avirulent amastigotes. IFN-γ-treatment down-regulated LdMAPK6, LdMAPK13, and LdMAPK15 in avirulent amastigotes but up-regulated in virulent amastigotes. This complex profile of LdMAPKs expression among virulent and avirulent parasites, drug-resistant parasites, and in amastigotes within IL-4 or IFN-γ-treated macrophages suggests that LdMAPKs are differentially controlled at the host-parasite interface regulating parasite survival and differentiation, and in the course of IL-4 or IFN-γ dominated immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Saptaparnee Saha
- Trident Academy of Creative Technology, Bhubaneswar, 751024, Odisha, India
| | - Dhiraj Gurjar
- National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, 411007, India
| | | | - Arup Sarkar
- Trident Academy of Creative Technology, Bhubaneswar, 751024, Odisha, India
| | - Bhaskar Saha
- National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, 411007, India.
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2
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Barroso P, Zanet S, Ferroglio E. Meteorological, demographic, and environmental risk factors for Leishmania infantum in wildlife. Res Vet Sci 2024; 173:105288. [PMID: 38718544 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2024.105288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
Leishmania infantum is an important and neglected vector-borne zoonotic protozoa endemic in the Mediterranean basin. Several wild and domestic mammals can contribute to maintaining its circulation but their importance as effective reservoirs is still under discussion and varies depending on local ecological communities. By combining environmental, climatic, and individual information, this study assessed the presence of L. infantum DNA in a set of wild species from Northwestern Italy and the potential ecological factors related to the risk of infection. From 2020 to 2022, 304 free-ranging wild animals were analyzed for the detection of L. infantum DNA in the spleen and popliteal lymph node (when available). The prevalence obtained in wild boar (Sus scrofa) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) was higher than those previously reported (% ± confidence interval 95%; 42.9 ± 18.4% and 27 ± 6.6% in wild boar and roe deer, respectively), and this is the first report of this parasite infecting the coypu Myocastor coypus (60 ± 34.7%). L. infantum DNA was detected in all the seasons including those free of adult sandflies and seasonal differences were minimal, suggesting a long course of infection. The models revealed that animals from rainy areas with higher greenness during the summer, highly populated by humans and predominantly covered by water surfaces had a higher risk of L. infantum. This study contributes to confirming previous findings on the existence of a sylvatic cycle for L. infantum in certain regions of Italy, as well as on the potential epidemiological role of roe deer for this parasite given the elevated prevalence found.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Barroso
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095, Grugliasco, Turin, Italy; Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leon, 24071 Leon, Spain.
| | - S Zanet
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095, Grugliasco, Turin, Italy
| | - E Ferroglio
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095, Grugliasco, Turin, Italy
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3
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Sheikh SY, Hassan F, Shukla D, Bala S, Faruqui T, Akhter Y, Khan AR, Nasibullah M. A review on potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of leishmaniasis. Parasitol Int 2024; 100:102863. [PMID: 38272301 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2024.102863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Leishmania, a protozoan parasite, is responsible for the occurrence of leishmaniasis, a disease that is prevalent in tropical regions. Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar in Asian countries, is one of the most significant forms of VL, along with Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) and Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis (ML). Management of this condition typically entails the use of chemotherapy as the sole therapeutic option. The current treatments for leishmaniasis present several drawbacks, including a multitude of side effects, prolonged treatment duration, disparate efficacy across different regions, and the emergence of resistance. To address this urgent need, it is imperative to identify alternative treatments that are both safer and more effective. The identification of appropriate pharmacological targets in conjunction with biological pathways constitutes the initial stage of drug discovery. In this review, we have addressed the key metabolic pathways that represent potential pharmacological targets as well as prominent treatment options for leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabahat Yasmeen Sheikh
- Department of Chemistry, Integral University, Dasauli, Kursi road, Lucknow 226026, India
| | - Firoj Hassan
- Department of Chemistry, Integral University, Dasauli, Kursi road, Lucknow 226026, India
| | - Deepanjali Shukla
- Department of Chemistry, Integral University, Dasauli, Kursi road, Lucknow 226026, India
| | - Shashi Bala
- Department of Chemistry, Lucknow University, Lucknow 226026, India
| | - Tabrez Faruqui
- Department of Biosciences, Integral University, Lucknow 226026, India
| | - Yusuf Akhter
- Department of Biotechnology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Vidya Vihar, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226025, India
| | - Abdul Rahman Khan
- Department of Chemistry, Integral University, Dasauli, Kursi road, Lucknow 226026, India
| | - Malik Nasibullah
- Department of Chemistry, Integral University, Dasauli, Kursi road, Lucknow 226026, India.
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4
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Nogueira VB, de Oliveira Mendes-Aguiar C, Teixeira DG, Freire-Neto FP, Tassi LZ, Ferreira LC, Wilson ME, Lima JG, Jeronimo SMB. Impaired signaling pathways on Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy macrophages during Leishmania infantum infection. Sci Rep 2024; 14:11236. [PMID: 38755198 PMCID: PMC11099049 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61663-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy (CGL), a rare autosomal recessive disorder, is characterized by a lack of adipose tissue. Infections are one of the major causes of CGL individuals' premature death. The mechanisms that predispose to infections are poorly understood. We used Leishmania infantum as an in vitro model of intracellular infection to explore mechanisms underlying the CGL infection processes, and to understand the impact of host mutations on Leishmania survival, since this pathogen enters macrophages through specialized membrane lipid domains. The transcriptomic profiles of both uninfected and infected monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) from CGL (types 1 and 2) and controls were studied. MDMs infected with L. infantum showed significantly downregulated expression of genes associated with infection-response pathways (MHC-I, TCR-CD3, and granzymes). There was a transcriptomic signature in CGL cells associated with impaired membrane trafficking and signaling in response to infection, with concomitant changes in the expression of membrane-associated genes in parasites (e.g. δ-amastins). We identified pathways suggesting the lipid storage dysfunction led to changes in phospholipids expression and impaired responses to infection, including immune synapse (antigen presentation, IFN-γ signaling, JAK/STAT); endocytosis; NF-kappaB signaling; and phosphatidylinositol biosynthesis. In summary, lipid metabolism of the host plays an important role in determining antigen presentation pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviane Brito Nogueira
- Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Institute of Tropical Medicine of Rio Grande do Norte, 655 Passeio dos Girassois, Natal, RN, 59078190, Brazil
| | | | - Diego Gomes Teixeira
- Institute of Tropical Medicine of Rio Grande do Norte, 655 Passeio dos Girassois, Natal, RN, 59078190, Brazil
| | - Francisco Paulo Freire-Neto
- Institute of Tropical Medicine of Rio Grande do Norte, 655 Passeio dos Girassois, Natal, RN, 59078190, Brazil
| | - Leo Zenon Tassi
- Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Institute of Tropical Medicine of Rio Grande do Norte, 655 Passeio dos Girassois, Natal, RN, 59078190, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Capistrano Ferreira
- Institute of Tropical Medicine of Rio Grande do Norte, 655 Passeio dos Girassois, Natal, RN, 59078190, Brazil
- Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Mary Edythe Wilson
- Departments of Internal Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology, University of Iowa and the Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Josivan Gomes Lima
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Onofre Lopes University Hospital, 620 Nilo Pecanha, Natal, RN, 59013300, Brazil
| | - Selma Maria Bezerra Jeronimo
- Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
- Institute of Tropical Medicine of Rio Grande do Norte, 655 Passeio dos Girassois, Natal, RN, 59078190, Brazil.
- Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
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Roberts AJ, Ong HB, Clare S, Brandt C, Harcourt K, Takele Y, Ghosh P, Toepp A, Waugh M, Matano D, Färnert A, Adams E, Moreno J, Mbuchi M, Petersen C, Mondal D, Kropf P, Wright GJ. A panel of recombinant Leishmania donovani cell surface and secreted proteins identifies LdBPK_323600.1 as a serological marker of symptomatic infection. mBio 2024; 15:e0085924. [PMID: 38639536 PMCID: PMC11077996 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00859-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis is a deadly infectious disease and is one of the world's major neglected health problems. Because the symptoms of infection are similar to other endemic diseases, accurate diagnosis is crucial for appropriate treatment. Definitive diagnosis using splenic or bone marrow aspirates is highly invasive, and so, serological assays are preferred, including the direct agglutination test (DAT) or rK39 strip test. These tests, however, are either difficult to perform in the field (DAT) or lack specificity in some endemic regions (rK39), making the development of new tests a research priority. The availability of Leishmania spp. genomes presents an opportunity to identify new diagnostic targets. Here, we use genome data and a mammalian protein expression system to create a panel of 93 proteins consisting of the extracellular ectodomains of the Leishmania donovani cell surface and secreted proteins. We use these panel and sera from murine experimental infection models and natural human and canine infections to identify new candidates for serological diagnosis. We observed a concordance between the most immunoreactive antigens in different host species and transmission settings. The antigen encoded by the LdBPK_323600.1 gene can diagnose Leishmania infections with high sensitivity and specificity in patient cohorts from different endemic regions including Bangladesh and Ethiopia. In longitudinal sampling of treated patients, we observed reductions in immunoreactivity to LdBPK_323600.1 suggesting it could be used to diagnose treatment success. In summary, we have identified new antigens that could contribute to improved serological diagnostic tests to help control the impact of this deadly tropical infectious disease. IMPORTANCE Visceral leishmaniasis is fatal if left untreated with patients often displaying mild and non-specific symptoms during the early stages of infection making accurate diagnosis important. Current methods for diagnosis require highly trained medical staff to perform highly invasive biopsies of the liver or bone marrow which pose risks to the patient. Less invasive molecular tests are available but can suffer from regional variations in their ability to accurately diagnose an infection. To identify new diagnostic markers of visceral leishmaniasis, we produced and tested a panel of 93 proteins identified from the genome of the parasite responsible for this disease. We found that the pattern of host antibody reactivity to these proteins was broadly consistent across naturally acquired infections in both human patients and dogs, as well as experimental rodent infections. We identified a new protein called LdBPK_323600.1 that could accurately diagnose visceral leishmaniasis infections in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J. Roberts
- Hull York Medical School, University of York, Heslington, York, United Kingdom
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Han Boon Ong
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Clare
- Pathogen Laboratory Support, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Cordelia Brandt
- Pathogen Laboratory Support, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Katherine Harcourt
- Pathogen Laboratory Support, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Yegnasew Takele
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Prakash Ghosh
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Angela Toepp
- College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA
| | - Max Waugh
- College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA
| | - Daniel Matano
- Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Anna Färnert
- Department of Medicine Solna and Center for Molecular Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Emily Adams
- Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Javier Moreno
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Leishmaniasis, National Centre for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas—CIBERINFEC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Margaret Mbuchi
- Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Dinesh Mondal
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Pascale Kropf
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gavin J. Wright
- Hull York Medical School, University of York, Heslington, York, United Kingdom
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Biology and York, Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, United Kingdom
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6
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de Vrij N, Pollmann J, Rezende AM, Ibarra-Meneses AV, Pham TT, Hailemichael W, Kassa M, Bogale T, Melkamu R, Yeshanew A, Mohammed R, Diro E, Maes I, Domagalska MA, Landuyt H, Vogt F, van Henten S, Laukens K, Cuypers B, Meysman P, Beyene H, Sisay K, Kibret A, Mersha D, Ritmeijer K, van Griensven J, Adriaensen W. Persistent T cell unresponsiveness associated with chronic visceral leishmaniasis in HIV-coinfected patients. Commun Biol 2024; 7:524. [PMID: 38702419 PMCID: PMC11068874 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06225-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
A large proportion of HIV-coinfected visceral leishmaniasis (VL-HIV) patients exhibit chronic disease with frequent VL recurrence. However, knowledge on immunological determinants underlying the disease course is scarce. We longitudinally profiled the circulatory cellular immunity of an Ethiopian HIV cohort that included VL developers. We show that chronic VL-HIV patients exhibit high and persistent levels of TIGIT and PD-1 on CD8+/CD8- T cells, in addition to a lower frequency of IFN-γ+ TIGIT- CD8+/CD8- T cells, suggestive of impaired T cell functionality. At single T cell transcriptome and clonal resolution, the patients show CD4+ T cell anergy, characterised by a lack of T cell activation and lymphoproliferative response. These findings suggest that PD-1 and TIGIT play a pivotal role in VL-HIV chronicity, and may be further explored for patient risk stratification. Our findings provide a strong rationale for adjunctive immunotherapy for the treatment of chronic VL-HIV patients to break the recurrent disease cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicky de Vrij
- Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium
- Adrem Data Lab, Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Julia Pollmann
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital Heidelberg, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Antonio M Rezende
- Department of Microbiology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute-FIOCRUZ/PE, Recife, Brazil
| | - Ana V Ibarra-Meneses
- Département de Pathologie et Microbiologie, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Thao-Thy Pham
- Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Wasihun Hailemichael
- Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Mekibib Kassa
- Leishmaniasis Research and Treatment Centre, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Tadfe Bogale
- Leishmaniasis Research and Treatment Centre, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Roma Melkamu
- Leishmaniasis Research and Treatment Centre, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Arega Yeshanew
- Leishmaniasis Research and Treatment Centre, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Rezika Mohammed
- Leishmaniasis Research and Treatment Centre, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Ermias Diro
- Leishmaniasis Research and Treatment Centre, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Ilse Maes
- Molecular Parasitology Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Malgorzata A Domagalska
- Molecular Parasitology Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Hanne Landuyt
- Clinical Trial Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Florian Vogt
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, 2601, Australia
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
- Unit of Neglected Tropical Diseases, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Saskia van Henten
- Unit of Neglected Tropical Diseases, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Kris Laukens
- Adrem Data Lab, Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Bart Cuypers
- Adrem Data Lab, Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Pieter Meysman
- Adrem Data Lab, Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Johan van Griensven
- Unit of Neglected Tropical Diseases, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Wim Adriaensen
- Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium.
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7
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van Dijk NJ, Hagos DG, Huggins DM, Carrillo E, Ajala S, Chicharro C, Kiptanui D, Solana JC, Abner E, Wolday D, Schallig HDFH. Simplified molecular diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis: Laboratory evaluation of miniature direct-on-blood PCR nucleic acid lateral flow immunoassay. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0011637. [PMID: 38713648 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in resource-limited endemic regions is currently based on serological testing with rK39 immunochromatographic tests (ICTs). However, rK39 ICT frequently has suboptimal diagnostic accuracy. Furthermore, treatment monitoring and detection of VL relapses is reliant on insensitive and highly invasive tissue aspirate microscopy. Miniature direct-on-blood PCR nucleic acid lateral flow immunoassay (mini-dbPCR-NALFIA) is an innovative and user-friendly molecular tool which does not require DNA extraction and uses a lateral flow strip for result read-out. This assay could be an interesting candidate for more reliable VL diagnosis and safer test of cure at the point of care. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPLE FINDINGS The performance of mini-dbPCR-NALFIA for diagnosis of VL in blood was assessed in a laboratory evaluation and compared with the accuracy of rK39 ICTs Kalazar Detect in Spain and IT LEISH in East Africa. Limit of detection of mini-dbPCR-NALFIA was 650 and 500 parasites per mL of blood for Leishmania donovani and Leishmania infantum, respectively. In 146 blood samples from VL-suspected patients from Spain, mini-dbPCR-NALFIA had a sensitivity of 95.8% and specificity 97.2%, while Kalazar Detect had a sensitivity of 71.2% and specificity of 94.5%, compared to a nested PCR reference. For a sample set from 58 VL patients, 10 malaria patients and 68 healthy controls from Ethiopia and Kenya, mini-dbPCR-NALFIA had a pooled sensitivity of 87.9% and pooled specificity of 100% using quantitative PCR as reference standard. IT LEISH sensitivity and specificity in the East African samples were 87.9% and 97.4%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Mini-dbPCR-NALFIA is a promising tool for simplified molecular diagnosis of VL and follow-up of treated patients in blood samples. Future studies should evaluate its use in endemic, resource-limited settings, where mini-dbPCR-NALFIA may provide an accurate and versatile alternative to rK39 ICTs and aspirate microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norbert J van Dijk
- Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Experimental Parasitology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases Programme, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Dawit Gebreegziabiher Hagos
- Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Experimental Parasitology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases Programme, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- College of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia
| | - Daniela M Huggins
- Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Experimental Parasitology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Eugenia Carrillo
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Leishmaniasis, National Center for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda (Madrid), Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC-ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Sophia Ajala
- Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Experimental Parasitology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Carmen Chicharro
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Leishmaniasis, National Center for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda (Madrid), Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC-ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - David Kiptanui
- Kacheliba Sub-County Hospital, Kacheliba, West Pokot County, Kenya
| | - Jose Carlos Solana
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Leishmaniasis, National Center for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda (Madrid), Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC-ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Edwin Abner
- Kacheliba Sub-County Hospital, Kacheliba, West Pokot County, Kenya
| | - Dawit Wolday
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Henk D F H Schallig
- Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Experimental Parasitology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases Programme, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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8
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Kausar G, Chauhan SB, Roy R, Kumar S, Engwerda C, Nylen S, Kumar R, Wilson ME, Sundar S. Apolipoprotein E Is Upregulated in Blood and Circulating Monocytes of Indian Patients With Visceral Leishmaniasis. Parasite Immunol 2024; 46:e13036. [PMID: 38720445 DOI: 10.1111/pim.13036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) has been associated with several diseases including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis. ApoE also has documented immunomodulatory functions. We investigated gene expression in circulating monocytes and in bone marrows of patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) living in an endemic area in Bihar, India, and contrasted these with control healthy subjects or other diagnostic bone marrows from individuals in the same region. Samples from VL patients were obtained prior to initiating treatment. Our study revealed significant upregulated expression of the apoE transcript in patients with VL. Furthermore, the levels of ApoE protein were elevated in serum samples of subjects with VL compared with healthy endemic controls. These observations may provide clues regarding the complex interactions between lipid metabolism and immunoregulation of infectious and inflammatory diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gulafsha Kausar
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Shashi B Chauhan
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Ritirupa Roy
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Shashi Kumar
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | | | - Susanne Nylen
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rajiv Kumar
- Centre of Experimental Medicine & Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Mary E Wilson
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Shyam Sundar
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
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9
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Sharma S, Anand A, Singh R, Singh RK, Verma S. Peptide-triggered IL-12 and IFN-γ mediated immune response in CD4 + T-cells against Leishmania donovani infection. Chem Commun (Camb) 2024; 60:4092-4095. [PMID: 38511970 DOI: 10.1039/d3cc05946d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Leishmania donovani are intracellular, human blood parasites that cause visceral leishmaniasis or kala-azar. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have been shown to modulate intracellular processes and cargo delivery, whereas host defense peptides (HDPs) promote proliferation of both naïve and antigen activated CD4+ T-cells. We report newly designed tripeptides that were able to trigger proinflammatory cytokine (IL-12 and IFN-γ) secretion by CD4+CD44+ T-cells in response to Leishmania donovani infection. These peptides can be used to induce antigen specific TH1 responses to combat obstacles of cytotoxicity and drug resistance associated with current anti-leishmanial drugs. Furthermore, these peptides can also be used as adjuvants to develop an effective immunoprophylactic approach for immunity restoration against visceral leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swati Sharma
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208016, India.
| | - Anshul Anand
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
| | - Rajan Singh
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
| | - Rakesh K Singh
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
| | - Sandeep Verma
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208016, India.
- Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208016, India
- Mehta Family Center for Engineering in Medicine, IIT Kanpur, Kanpur 208016, India
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10
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Roy S, Moulik S, Roy M, Ghosh MK, Chaudhuri SJ, Pandey DK, Jain S, Dagne DA, Chatterjee M. Monitoring the Long-Term Effectiveness of Miltefosine in Indian Post-Kala-Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2024; 110:656-662. [PMID: 38442428 PMCID: PMC10993836 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), the dermal sequel to visceral leishmaniasis (VL), is characterized by hypopigmented macules (macular) and/or papules and nodules (polymorphic). Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis plays a significant role in disease transmission, emphasizing the need for monitoring chemotherapeutic effectiveness. Accordingly, this study aimed to quantify the parasite burden in PKDL patients after treatment with miltefosine by a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). A Leishmania kinetoplastid gene-targeted qPCR was undertaken using DNA from skin biopsy specimens of patients with PKDL at three time points, i.e., at disease presentation (week 0, n = 157, group 1), upon completion of treatment (week 12, n = 39, group 2), and at any time point 6 months after completion of treatment (week ≥36, n = 54, group 3). A cycle threshold (Ct) <30 was considered the cutoff for positivity, and load was quantified as the number of parasites/µg genomic DNA (gDNA); cure was considered when samples had a Ct >30. The parasite load at disease presentation (group 1) was 10,769 (1,339-80,441)/µg gDNA (median [interquartile range]). In groups 2 and 3, qPCR results were negative in 35/39 cases (89.7%) and 48/54 cases (88.8%), respectively. In the 10/93 (10.8%) qPCR-positive cases, the parasite burdens in groups 2 and 3 were 2,420 (1,205-5,661)/µg gDNA and 22,195 (5,524-100,106)/µg gDNA, respectively. Serial monitoring was undertaken in 45 randomly selected cases that had completed treatment; all cases in groups 2 or 3 had a Ct >30, indicating cure. Overall, qPCR confirmed an 89.2% cure (as 83/93 cases showed parasite clearance), and the persistent qPCR positivity was attributed to nonadherence to treatment or unresponsiveness to miltefosine and remains to be investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sutopa Roy
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, India
| | - Srija Moulik
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, India
| | - Madhurima Roy
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, India
| | - Manab K. Ghosh
- Department of Tropical Medicine, School of Tropical Medicine, Kolkata, India
| | - Surya Jyati Chaudhuri
- Department of Microbiology, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay Government Medical College and Hospital, Howrah, India
| | - Dhruv K. Pandey
- Kala-Azar Elimination Programme, World Health Organization Country Office, New Delhi, India
| | - Saurabh Jain
- Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Argaw Dagne
- Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mitali Chatterjee
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, India
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11
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Diotallevi A, Bruno F, Castelli G, Persico G, Buffi G, Ceccarelli M, Ligi D, Mannello F, Vitale F, Magnani M, Galluzzi L. Transcriptional signatures in human macrophage-like cells infected by Leishmania infantum, Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0012085. [PMID: 38578804 PMCID: PMC11023634 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the Mediterranean basin, three Leishmania species have been identified: L. infantum, L. major and L. tropica, causing zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (VL), zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and anthroponotic CL, respectively. Despite animal models and genomic/transcriptomic studies provided important insights, the pathogenic determinants modulating the development of VL and CL are still poorly understood. This work aimed to identify host transcriptional signatures shared by cells infected with L. infantum, L. major, and L. tropica, as well as specific transcriptional signatures elicited by parasites causing VL (i.e., L. infantum) and parasites involved in CL (i.e., L. major, L. tropica). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS U937 cells differentiated into macrophage-like cells were infected with L. infantum, L. major and L. tropica for 24h and 48h, and total RNA was extracted. RNA sequencing, performed on an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform, was used to evaluate the transcriptional signatures of infected cells with respect to non-infected cells at both time points. The EdgeR package was used to identify differentially expressed genes (fold change > 2 and FDR-adjusted p-values < 0.05). Then, functional enrichment analysis was employed to identify the enriched ontology terms in which these genes are involved. At 24h post-infection, a common signature of 463 dysregulated genes shared among all infection conditions was recognized, while at 48h post-infection the common signature was reduced to 120 genes. Aside from a common transcriptional response, we evidenced different upregulated functional pathways characterizing L. infantum-infected cells, such as VEGFA-VEGFR2 and NFE2L2-related pathways, indicating vascular remodeling and reduction of oxidative stress as potentially important factors for visceralization. CONCLUSIONS The identification of pathways elicited by parasites causing VL or CL could lead to new therapeutic strategies for leishmaniasis, combining the canonical anti-leishmania compounds with host-directed therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurora Diotallevi
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
| | - Federica Bruno
- Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le Leishmaniosi (C.Re.Na.L.), OIE Leishmania Reference Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia A Mirri, Palermo, Italy
| | - Germano Castelli
- Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le Leishmaniosi (C.Re.Na.L.), OIE Leishmania Reference Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia A Mirri, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Persico
- Department of Experimental Oncology, IRCCS, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Gloria Buffi
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
| | - Marcello Ceccarelli
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
| | - Daniela Ligi
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
| | - Ferdinando Mannello
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Vitale
- Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le Leishmaniosi (C.Re.Na.L.), OIE Leishmania Reference Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia A Mirri, Palermo, Italy
| | - Mauro Magnani
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
| | - Luca Galluzzi
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
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12
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Deepachandi B, Weerasinghe S, Gunathileka H, Soysa P, Siriwardana Y. In vitro growth of Leishmania parasites from biopsy samples of suspected cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis cases in Sri Lanka: An observational study. Exp Parasitol 2024; 259:108710. [PMID: 38350521 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
Sri Lanka reports a large focus of Leishmania donovani caused cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Subsequent emergence of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) was also reported recently. Expansion of the on-going disease outbreak and many complexities indicate urgent need to enhance early case detection methods. In vitro cultivation (IVC) of parasites causing visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is important for disease confirmation and to obtain sufficient quantities of parasites required in many scientific studies. IVC is carried out as a useful second line investigation for direct microscopy negative patients with CL in this setting. Along with the emergence of VL, current study was carried out to evaluate in vitro growth of local VL parasites and to identify their differences associated with in vitro growth characteristics. Routine parasitological diagnostic methods, i.e., light microscopy (LM), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used for confirmation of suspected cases. Lesion samples from 125 suspected CL cases and bone marrow or splenic aspirations from 125 suspected VL patients were used to inoculate IVCs. Media M199 (about 70 μl) supplemented with 15-20% of heat inactivated fetal bovine serum was used for initial culturing procedures in capillaries. Capillary cultures were monitored daily. Total of 44 different compositions/conditions were used for evaluating in vitro growth of VL causing parasite. Daily records on parasite counts, morphological appearance (size, shape, and wriggly movements) were maintained. In vitro transformation of Leishmania promastigotes to amastigotes and outcome of the attempts on recovery of live Leishmania from culture stabilates was also compared between CL and VL parasites. Proportion of cultures showing a transformation of promastigotes were 40/45 (88.9%) and 4/10 (40.0%) for CL and VL respectively. In the transformed cultures, parasites showing typical shape, size and movement patterns were less in VL (1/4, 25.0%) compared to CL (28/40, 70.0%). CL cultures showed a growth up to mass culturing level with mean duration of two weeks while it was about five weeks for VL cultures. Proportion of cultures that reached a parasite density of 1 × 106 cells/ml (proceeded to mass cultures) was significantly low in VL (4/10, 40%) as compared to CL (28/40, 70.0%). None of media compositions/conditions were successful for mass culturing of VL parasites while all of them were shown to be useful for growing CL strains. Also in vitro transformation to amastigote form and recovering of culture stabilates were not successful compared to CL. There were clear differences between in vitro growth of Leishmania parasites causing local CL and VL. Further studies are recommended for optimization of in vitro culturing of VL parasite which will be invaluable to enhance case detection in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhagya Deepachandi
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, 00800, Sri Lanka; Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Science, NSBM Green University, Homagama, 10206, Sri Lanka
| | - Sudath Weerasinghe
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, 00800, Sri Lanka
| | - Himali Gunathileka
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, 00800, Sri Lanka
| | - Preethi Soysa
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo 00800, Sri Lanka
| | - Yamuna Siriwardana
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, 00800, Sri Lanka.
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Paul A, Roy PK, Babu NK, Singh S. Clotrimazole causes membrane depolarization and induces sub G 0 cell cycle arrest in Leishmania donovani. Acta Trop 2024; 252:107139. [PMID: 38307362 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Clotrimazole is an FDA approved drug and is widely used as an antifungal agent. An extensive body of research is available about its mechanism of action on various cell types but its mode of killing of Leishmania donovani parasites is unknown. L. donovani causes Visceral Leishmaniasis which is a public health problem with limited treatment options. Its present chemotherapy is expensive, has adverse effects and is plagued with drug resistance issues. In this study we have explored the possibility of repurposing clotrimazole as an antileishmanial drug. We have assessed its efficacy on the parasites and attempted to understand its mode of action. We found that it has a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 35.75 ± 1.06 μM, 12.75 ± 0.35 μM and 73 ± 1.41 μM in promastigotes, intracellular amastigotes and macrophages, respectively. Clotrimazole is 5.73 times more selective for the intracellular amastigotes as compared to the mammalian cell. Effect of clotrimazole was reduced by ergosterol supplementation. It leads to impaired parasite morphology. It alters plasma membrane permeability and disrupts plasma membrane potential. Mitochondrial function is compromised as is evident from increased ROS generation, depolarized mitochondrial membrane and decreased ATP levels. Cell cycle analysis of clotrimazole treated parasites shows arrest at sub-G0 phase suggesting apoptotic mode of cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anindita Paul
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab 160062, India
| | - Pradyot Kumar Roy
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab 160062, India
| | - Neerupudi Kishore Babu
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab 160062, India
| | - Sushma Singh
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab 160062, India.
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14
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Verrest L, Monnerat S, Musa AM, Mbui J, Khalil EAG, Olobo J, Wasunna M, Chu WY, Huitema ADR, Schallig HDFH, Alves F, Dorlo TPC. Leishmania blood parasite dynamics during and after treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in Eastern Africa: A pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0012078. [PMID: 38640118 PMCID: PMC11062534 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND With the current treatment options for visceral leishmaniasis (VL), recrudescence of the parasite is seen in a proportion of patients. Understanding parasite dynamics is crucial to improving treatment efficacy and predicting patient relapse in cases of VL. This study aimed to characterize the kinetics of circulating Leishmania parasites in the blood, during and after different antileishmanial therapies, and to find predictors for clinical relapse of disease. METHODS Data from three clinical trials, in which Eastern African VL patients received various antileishmanial regimens, were combined in this study. Leishmania kinetoplast DNA was quantified in whole blood with real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) before, during, and up to six months after treatment. An integrated population pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model was developed using non-linear mixed effects modelling. RESULTS Parasite proliferation was best described by an exponential growth model, with an in vivo parasite doubling time of 7.8 days (RSE 12%). Parasite killing by fexinidazole, liposomal amphotericin B, sodium stibogluconate, and miltefosine was best described by linear models directly relating drug concentrations to the parasite elimination rate. After treatment, parasite growth was assumed to be suppressed by the host immune system, described by an Emax model driven by the time after treatment. No predictors for the high variability in onset and magnitude of the immune response could be identified. Model-based individual predictions of blood parasite load on Day 28 and Day 56 after start of treatment were predictive for clinical relapse of disease. CONCLUSION This semi-mechanistic pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model adequately captured the blood parasite dynamics during and after treatment, and revealed that high blood parasite loads on Day 28 and Day 56 after start of treatment are an early indication for VL relapse, which could be a useful biomarker to assess treatment efficacy of a treatment regimen in a clinical trial setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luka Verrest
- Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital/Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Ahmed M. Musa
- Institute of Endemic Diseases, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Jane Mbui
- Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Joseph Olobo
- Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Monique Wasunna
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Wan-Yu Chu
- Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital/Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Pharmacy, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Alwin D. R. Huitema
- Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital/Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Pharmacology, Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Henk D. F. H. Schallig
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Laboratory for Experimental Parasitology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Fabiana Alves
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Thomas P. C. Dorlo
- Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital/Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Pharmacy, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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15
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da Silva AS, de Medeiros Silva MM, de Oliveira Mendes Aguiar C, Nascimento PRP, da Costa EG, Jeronimo SMB, de Melo Ximenes MDFF. Challenges of animals shelters in caring for dogs infected with Leishmania and other pathogens. Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2024; 49:100988. [PMID: 38462297 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2024.100988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
The incidence of human Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) has decreased in Brazil; however, the number of areas reporting human and canine cases has increased, with Leishmania infantum usually preceding human infection. This study aimed to analyze the profile of infectious diseases that are endemic for both human and canine VL, in dogs housed in a shelter located in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Northeast Brazil. Data was obtained between November/2021 to April/2022. All dogs residing at the shelter (98 dogs) were examined and blood was collected for testing for L. infantum, Ehrlichia canis, and Babesia sp. Statistical analyses considered the clinical and laboratory findings. Of the 98 animals, approximately 43% were positive for L. infantum antibodies, 19% were positive for L. infantum kDNA, and 18% were L. infantum positive by culture. Greater levels of anti-leishmania antibodies were observed in dogs with symptoms suggestive of VL. The dogs tested positive for E. canis (19/98) and B. canis (18/98). Lutzomyia longipalpis was captured inside the shelter, representing 74.25% (n = 225) of whole sandflies in the dog shelter. Concomitant infection by L. infantum and E. canis increased the odds of death. Treatment of VL included the use of allopurinol (n = 48) and miltefosine (n = 8). Treated animals showed more signs of Leishmania infection. Tickborn parasites and Leishmania were prevalent in sheltered dogs in a VL-endemic area, which increases the odds of death and poses an additional challenge for caring for abandoned dogs and at the same time setting protocols to manage reservoirs of L. infantum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Salles da Silva
- Postgraduate Program in Development and Environment, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59078-900, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Marcel Miranda de Medeiros Silva
- Postgraduate Program in Development and Environment, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59078-900, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Carolina de Oliveira Mendes Aguiar
- Institute of Tropical Medicine of Rio Grande do Norte, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59078-900, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Paulo Ricardo Petrucio Nascimento
- Institute of Tropical Medicine of Rio Grande do Norte, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59078-900, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Eliardo Guimarães da Costa
- Department of Statistics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59078-900, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Selma M B Jeronimo
- Institute of Tropical Medicine of Rio Grande do Norte, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59078-900, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil; Department of Biochemistry, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59078-900, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Maria de Fátima Freire de Melo Ximenes
- Postgraduate Program in Development and Environment, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59078-900, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil; Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59078-900, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
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16
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Dirkx L, Van Acker SI, Nicolaes Y, Cunha JLR, Ahmad R, Hendrickx R, Caljon B, Imamura H, Ebo DG, Jeffares DC, Sterckx YGJ, Maes L, Hendrickx S, Caljon G. Long-term hematopoietic stem cells trigger quiescence in Leishmania parasites. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012181. [PMID: 38656959 PMCID: PMC11073788 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Addressing the challenges of quiescence and post-treatment relapse is of utmost importance in the microbiology field. This study shows that Leishmania infantum and L. donovani parasites rapidly enter into quiescence after an estimated 2-3 divisions in both human and mouse bone marrow stem cells. Interestingly, this behavior is not observed in macrophages, which are the primary host cells of the Leishmania parasite. Transcriptional comparison of the quiescent and non-quiescent metabolic states confirmed the overall decrease of gene expression as a hallmark of quiescence. Quiescent amastigotes display a reduced size and signs of a rapid evolutionary adaptation response with genetic alterations. Our study provides further evidence that this quiescent state significantly enhances resistance to treatment. Moreover, transitioning through quiescence is highly compatible with sand fly transmission and increases the potential of parasites to infect cells. Collectively, this work identified stem cells in the bone marrow as a niche where Leishmania quiescence occurs, with important implications for antiparasitic treatment and acquisition of virulence traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Dirkx
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sara I. Van Acker
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Yasmine Nicolaes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - João Luís Reis Cunha
- York Biomedical Research Institute and Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Rokaya Ahmad
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Rik Hendrickx
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ben Caljon
- Brussels Interuniversity Genomics High Throughput core (BRIGHTcore) platform, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Hideo Imamura
- Brussels Interuniversity Genomics High Throughput core (BRIGHTcore) platform, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Didier G. Ebo
- Department of Immunology–Allergology–Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Daniel C. Jeffares
- York Biomedical Research Institute and Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Yann G.-J. Sterckx
- Laboratory of Medical Biochemistry (LMB), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sarah Hendrickx
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Guy Caljon
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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17
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Kausar G, Chauhan SB, Roy R, Verma V, Pandey S, Niyaz A, Chakravarty J, Engwerda CR, Nylen S, Kumar R, Wilson ME, Sundar S. Phenotypic and functional characteristics of monocyte subsets in the blood and bone marrow of Indian subjects with Visceral Leishmaniasis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0012112. [PMID: 38669292 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a potentially fatal parasitic infection caused by Leishmania donovani in India. L. donovani is an obligate intracellular protozoan residing mostly in macrophages of the reticuloendothelial system throughout chronic infection. Monocytic phagocytes are critical in the pathogenesis of different forms of leishmaniasis. Subsets of monocytes are distinguished by their surface markers into CD14+CD16- classical monocytes, CD14+CD16+ intermediate monocytes, and CD16++CD14low non-classical monocyte subsets. During cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), intermediate monocyte are reported to be a source of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF, and they express CCR2 attracting them to sites of inflammatory pathology. We examined monocyte subsets in the blood and bone marrow of patients with VL from an endemic site in Bihar, India, and found these contrasted with the roles of monocytes in CL. During VL, intermediate and non-classical CD16+ monocyte subsets expressed instead a non-inflammatory phenotype with low CCR2, high CX3CR1 and low microbicidal oxidant generation, making them more similar to patrolling monocytes than inflammatory cells. Bone marrow CD16+ monocyte subsets expressed a phenotype that might be more similar to the inflammatory subsets of CL, although our inability to obtain bone marrow from healthy donors in the endemic region hampered this interpretation Overall the data suggest that CD16+ intermediate monocyte subsets in VL patients express a phenotypes that contributes to an immunosuppressed pathologic immune state, but in contrast to CL, these do not mediate localized inflammatory responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gulafsha Kausar
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Shashi Bhushan Chauhan
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Ritirupa Roy
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Vimal Verma
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Sundaram Pandey
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Aziza Niyaz
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Jaya Chakravarty
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | | | - Susanne Nylen
- Department of Microbiology Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rajiv Kumar
- Centre of Experimental Medicine & Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Mary E Wilson
- Departments of Internal Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology, University of Iowa and the VA Medical Center, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Shyam Sundar
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
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18
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Carrara GMP, Stolf BS. FVB/NJ strain as a mouse model for cutaneous leishmaniasis by Leishmania (L.) amazonensis. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2024; 119:e230182. [PMID: 38511814 PMCID: PMC10941652 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760230182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Leishmaniases encompass a spectrum of neglected diseases caused by parasites of the genus Leishmania, grouped in two forms: tegumentary and visceral leishmaniasis. OBJECTIVES In this study, we propose Friend Virus B NIH Jackson (FVB/NJ) mouse strain as a new experimental model of infection with Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis, the second most prevalent agent of tegumentary leishmaniasis in Brazil. METHODS AND FINDINGS We performed in vitro infections of FVB/NJ macrophages and compared them with BALB/c macrophages, showing that BALB/c cells have higher infection percentages and a higher number of amastigotes/cell. Phagocytosis assays indicated that BALB/c and FVB/NJ macrophages have similar capacity to uptake parasites after 5 min incubations. We also investigated promastigotes' resistance to sera from FVB/NJ and BALB/c and observed no difference between the two sera, even though FVB/NJ has a deficiency in complement components. Finally, we subcutaneously infected FVB/NJ and BALB/c mice with 2 × 106 parasites expressing luciferase. Analysis of lesion development for 12 weeks showed that FVB/NJ and BALB/c mice have similar lesion profiles and parasite burdens. MAIN CONCLUSIONS This work characterises for the first time the FVB/NJ mouse as a new model for tegumentary leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (L.) amazonensis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Beatriz Simonsen Stolf
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
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19
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Parveen S, Majumder S, Bodhale N, Biswal NR, Pandey SP, Dutta A, Patra P, Bhattacharya-Majumdar S, Pal C, Majumdar S, Saha B. Myotubularin-related protein 6 is an ion channel-associated pro-leishmanial phosphatase. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 129:111644. [PMID: 38330797 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.111644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Residing obligatorily as amastigotes within the mammalian macrophages, the parasite Leishmania donovani inflicts the potentially fatal, globally re-emerging disease visceral leishmaniasis (VL) by altering intracellular signaling through kinases and phosphatases. Because the phosphatases that modulate the VL outcome in humans remained unknown, we screened a human phosphatase siRNA-library for anti-leishmanial functions in THP-1, a human macrophage-like cell line. Of the 251 phosphatases, the screen identified the Ca++-activated K+-channel-associated phosphatase myotubularin-related protein-6 (MTMR6) as the only phosphatase whose silencing reduced parasite load and IL-10 production in human macrophages. Virulent, but not avirulent, L. donovani infection increased MTMR6 expression in macrophages. As virulent L. donovani parasites expressed higher lipophosphoglycan, a TLR2-ligand, we tested the effect of TLR2 stimulation or blockade on MTMR6 expression. TLR1/TLR2-ligand Pam3CSK4 enhanced, but TLR2 blockade reduced, MTMR6 expression. L. donovani infection of macrophages ex vivo increased, but miltefosine treatment reduced, MTMR6 expression. Corroboratively, compared to endemic controls, untreated VL patients had higher, but miltefosine-treated VL patients had reduced, MTMR6 expression. The phosphatase siRNA-library screening thus identified MTMR6 as the first TLR2-modulated ion channel-associated phosphatase with significant implications in VL patients and anti-leishmanial functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabina Parveen
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, CIT Scheme VII-M, Kolkata 700054. India
| | - Saikat Majumder
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, CIT Scheme VII-M, Kolkata 700054. India
| | - Neelam Bodhale
- National Centre for Cell Science, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007. India
| | - Nihar Ranjan Biswal
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, CIT Scheme VII-M, Kolkata 700054. India
| | | | - Aritri Dutta
- Department of Zoology, West Bengal State University, Barasat, West Bengal, India
| | - Pradyumna Patra
- Canning Sub-divisional Hospital, Canning, West Bengal, India
| | | | - Chiranjib Pal
- Department of Zoology, West Bengal State University, Barasat, West Bengal, India
| | - Subrata Majumdar
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, CIT Scheme VII-M, Kolkata 700054. India.
| | - Bhaskar Saha
- National Centre for Cell Science, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007. India.
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20
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Yin S, Li J, Chen J, Zhou Q, Duan DBP, Lai M, Zhong J, He J, Chen D, Zeng Z, Su L, Luo L, Dong C, Zheng Z. LdCyPA attenuates MAPK pathway to assist Leishmania donovani immune escape in host cells. Acta Trop 2024; 251:107114. [PMID: 38190929 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.107114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Visceral leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Macrophages serve as the primary host cells for L. donovani, the immune response capability of these host cells is crucial for parasites' intracellular survival. L. donovani peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase Cyclophilin A (LdCypA) is a key protein for L. donovani intracellular proliferation, while the molecular mechanism conducive to intracellular survival of parasites remains elusive. METHODS In this study, we generated a macrophage cell line overexpressing LdCyPA to investigate its role in controlling host immunity and promoting intracellular immune escape of L. donovani. RESULTS It was discovered that the overexpression of the LdCyPA cell line regulated the host immune response following infection by downregulating the proportion of M1-type macrophages, promoting the secretion of the anti-inflammatory factor IL-4, and inhibiting the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors like IL-12, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and INOS. Transcriptome sequencing and mechanistic validation, meanwhile, demonstrated that cells overexpressing LdCyPA controlled the immune responses that followed infection by blocking the phosphorylation of P38 and JNK1/2 proteins in the MAPK signaling pathway and simultaneously increasing the phosphorylation of ERK proteins, which helped the L. donovani escape immune recognition. CONCLUSION Our findings thus pave the way for the development of host-directed antiparasitic drugs by illuminating the pro-Leishmania survival mechanism of L. donovani cyclophilin A and exposing a novel immune escape strategy for L. donovani that targets host cellular immune regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuangshuang Yin
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China
| | - Jiao Li
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China; Sichuan-Chongqing jointly-established Research Platform of Zoonosis, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Jianping Chen
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China; Sichuan-Chongqing jointly-established Research Platform of Zoonosis, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Qi Zhou
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China
| | - Deng Bin Pei Duan
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China
| | - Meng Lai
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China
| | - Junchao Zhong
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China
| | - Jinlei He
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China; Sichuan-Chongqing jointly-established Research Platform of Zoonosis, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Dali Chen
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China; Sichuan-Chongqing jointly-established Research Platform of Zoonosis, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Zheng Zeng
- Sichuan-Chongqing jointly-established Research Platform of Zoonosis, Chengdu, PR China; Chong Qing Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Liang Su
- Sichuan-Chongqing jointly-established Research Platform of Zoonosis, Chengdu, PR China; Chong Qing Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Lu Luo
- Sichuan-Chongqing jointly-established Research Platform of Zoonosis, Chengdu, PR China; Chong Qing Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Chunxia Dong
- Sichuan-Chongqing jointly-established Research Platform of Zoonosis, Chengdu, PR China; Chong Qing Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Zhiwan Zheng
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China; Sichuan-Chongqing jointly-established Research Platform of Zoonosis, Chengdu, PR China.
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21
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Heidari S, Hajjaran H, Mohebali M, Akhoundi B, Gharechahi J. Recognition of Immunoreactive Proteins in Leishmania infantum Amastigote-Like and Promastigote Using Sera of Visceral Leishmaniasis Patients: a Preliminary Study. Acta Parasitol 2024; 69:533-540. [PMID: 38227109 DOI: 10.1007/s11686-023-00764-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a systemic and parasitic disease that is usually fatal if left untreated. VL is endemic in different parts of Iran and is caused mainly by Leishmania infantum. This study aimed to recognition immunoreactive proteins in amastigote-like and promastigote stages of L. infantum (Iranian strain) by antibodies present in the sera of VL patients. METHODS Total protein extract from amastigote-like and promastigote cells was separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE). To detect the immunoreactive proteins, 2DE immunoblotting method was performed using different pools of VL patients' sera. RESULTS Approximately 390 and 430 protein spots could be separated in 2DE profiles of L. infantum amastigote-like and promastigote stages, respectively. In immunoblotting method, approximately 295 and 135 immunoreactive proteins of amastigotes-like reacted with high antibody titer serum pool and low antibody titer serum pool, respectively. Approximately 120 and 85 immunoreactive proteins of promastigote extract were recognized using the high antibody titer sera pool and low antibody titer sera, respectively. CONCLUSION The present study has recognized a number of antigenic diversity proteins based on the molecular weight and pH in amastigote-like and promastigote stages of L. infantum. These results provide us a new concept for further analysis development in the field of diagnosis biomarkers and vaccine targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soudabeh Heidari
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P. O. Box: 1417613151, Tehran, Iran
| | - Homa Hajjaran
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P. O. Box: 1417613151, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mehdi Mohebali
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P. O. Box: 1417613151, Tehran, Iran
- Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Behnaz Akhoundi
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P. O. Box: 1417613151, Tehran, Iran
| | - Javad Gharechahi
- Human Genetics Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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22
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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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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23
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Pabon-Rodriguez FM, Brown GD, Scorza BM, Petersen CA. Within-host bayesian joint modeling of longitudinal and time-to-event data of Leishmania infection. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0297175. [PMID: 38335163 PMCID: PMC10857584 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The host immune system plays a significant role in managing and clearing pathogen material during an infection, but this complex process presents numerous challenges from a modeling perspective. There are many mathematical and statistical models for these kinds of processes that take into account a wide range of events that happen within the host. In this work, we present a Bayesian joint model of longitudinal and time-to-event data of Leishmania infection that considers the interplay between key drivers of the disease process: pathogen load, antibody level, and disease. The longitudinal model also considers approximate inflammatory and regulatory immune factors. In addition to measuring antibody levels produced by the immune system, we adapt data from CD4+ and CD8+ T cell proliferation, and expression of interleukin 10, interferon-gamma, and programmed cell death 1 as inflammatory or regulatory factors mediating the disease process. The model is developed using data collected from a cohort of dogs naturally exposed to Leishmania infantum. The cohort was chosen to start with healthy infected animals, and this is the majority of the data. The model also characterizes the relationship features of the longitudinal outcomes and time-to-death due to progressive Leishmania infection. In addition to describing the mechanisms causing disease progression and impacting the risk of death, we also present the model's ability to predict individual trajectories of Canine Leishmaniosis (CanL) progression. The within-host model structure we present here provides a way forward to address vital research questions regarding the understanding of the progression of complex chronic diseases such as Visceral Leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease causing significant morbidity worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix M. Pabon-Rodriguez
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Grant D. Brown
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Breanna M. Scorza
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
- Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Christine A. Petersen
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
- Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
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24
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Nath M, Bhowmik D, Saha S, Nandi R, Kumar D. Identification of potential inhibitor against Leishmania donovani mitochondrial DNA primase through in-silico and in vitro drug repurposing approaches. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3246. [PMID: 38332162 PMCID: PMC10853515 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53316-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Leishmania donovani is the causal organism of leishmaniasis with critical health implications affecting about 12 million people around the globe. Due to less efficacy, adverse side effects, and resistance, the available therapeutic molecules fail to control leishmaniasis. The mitochondrial primase of Leishmania donovani (LdmtPRI1) is a vital cog in the DNA replication mechanism, as the enzyme initiates the replication of the mitochondrial genome of Leishmania donovani. Hence, we target this protein as a probable drug target against leishmaniasis. The de-novo approach enabled computational prediction of the three-dimensional structure of LdmtPRI1, and its active sites were identified. Ligands from commercially available drug compounds were selected and docked against LdmtPRI1. The compounds were chosen for pharmacokinetic study and molecular dynamics simulation based on their binding energies and protein interactions. The LdmtPRI1 gene was cloned, overexpressed, and purified, and a primase activity assay was performed. The selected compounds were verified experimentally by the parasite and primase inhibition assay. Capecitabine was observed to be effective against the promastigote form of Leishmania donovani, as well as inhibiting primase activity. This study's findings suggest capecitabine might be a potential anti-leishmanial drug candidate after adequate further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitul Nath
- Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, 788011, India
| | - Deep Bhowmik
- Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, 788011, India
| | - Satabdi Saha
- Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, 788011, India
| | - Rajat Nandi
- Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, 788011, India
| | - Diwakar Kumar
- Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, 788011, India.
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Dikhit MR, Sen A. Elucidation of conserved multi-epitope vaccine against Leishmania donovani using reverse vaccinology. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:1293-1306. [PMID: 37054523 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2201630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a tropical disease that causes severe public health problems in humans when untreated. As no licensed vaccine exists against VL, we aimed to formulate a potential MHC-restricted chimeric vaccine construct against this dreadful parasitic disease. Amastin-like protein derived from L. donovani is considered to be stable, immunogenic and non-allergic. A comprehensive established framework was used to explore the set of immunogenic epitopes with estimated population coverage of 96.08% worldwide. The rigorous assessment revealed 6 promiscuous T-epitopes which can plausibly be presented by more than 66 diverse HLA alleles. Further docking and simulation study of peptide receptor complexes identified a strong and stable binding interaction with better structural compactness. The predicted epitopes were combined with appropriate linkers and adjuvant molecules and their translation efficiency was evaluated in pET28+(a), an bacterial expression vector using in-silico cloning. Molecular docking followed by MD simulation study revealed a stable interaction between chimeric vaccine construct with TLRs. Immune simulation of the chimeric vaccine constructs showed an elevated Th1 immune response against both B and T epitopes. With this, the detailed computational analysis suggested that the chimeric vaccine construct can evoke a robust immune response against Leishmania donovani infection. Future studies are required to validate the role of amastin as a promising vaccine target.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manas Ranjan Dikhit
- Department of Molecular Biology, ICMR-Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, India
| | - Abhik Sen
- Department of Molecular Biology, ICMR-Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, India
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Torrico MC, Ballart C, Fernández-Arévalo A, Solano M, Rojas E, Abras A, Gonzales F, Mamani Y, Arnau A, Lozano D, Gascón J, Picado A, Torrico F, Muñoz C, Gállego M. The need for culture in tegumentary leishmaniasis diagnosis in Bolivia: A comparative evaluation of four parasitological techniques using two sampling methods. Acta Trop 2024; 250:107092. [PMID: 38065375 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.107092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Leishmaniases are zoonotic diseases caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania. In Bolivia, leishmaniasis occurs mainly in the cutaneous form (CL) followed by the mucosal or mucocutaneous form (ML or MCL), grouped as tegumentary leishmaniosis (TL), while cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) are rare. The cases of TL are routinely diagnosed by parasitological methods: Direct Parasitological Exam (DPE) and axenic culture, the latter being performed only by specialized laboratories. The aim of the present study was to optimize the parasitological diagnosis of TL in Bolivia, using two sampling methods. Samples from 117 patients with suspected TL, obtained by aspiration (n = 121) and scraping (n = 121) of the edge of the lesion were tested by: direct parasitological exam, culture in TSTB medium, and miniculture and microculture in Schneider's medium. A positive laboratory result by any of the four techniques evaluated using either of the two sampling methods was considered the gold standard. Of the 117 suspected patients included, TL was confirmed in 96 (82 %), corresponding 79 of the confirmed cases (82.3 %) to CL and 16 (16.7 %) to ML. Parasitological techniques specificity was 100 % and their analytical sensitivity was greater with scraping samples in TSTB culture (98 %). Scraping samples in TSTB and miniculture correlated well with the reference (Cohen's kappa coefficient=0.88) and showed good reliability (Cronbach's alpha coefficient ≥0.91). Microculture provided positive results earlier than the other culture methods (mean day 4.5). By day 14, 98 % of positive cultures had been detected. Scraping sampling and miniculture were associated with higher culture contamination (6 % and 17 %, respectively). Bacterial contamination predominated, regardless of the sampling and culture method, while filamentous fungi and mixed contamination were more frequently observed in cultures from scraping samples. In conclusion: (i) scraping samples proved more suitable for the diagnosis of TL as they increased analytical sensitivity, are less traumatic for the patient and are safer for laboratory personnel than aspirates; (ii) culture, mainly in TSBT medium, should be used for the diagnosis of TL due to its high sensitivity (doubling the number of cases diagnosed by DPE) and its low cost compared to other culture media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Cruz Torrico
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Cochabamba, Bolivia; Secció de Parasitologia, Departament de Biologia, Sanitat i Medi Ambient, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Fundación CEADES y Medio Ambiente, Cochabamba, Bolivia.
| | - Cristina Ballart
- Secció de Parasitologia, Departament de Biologia, Sanitat i Medi Ambient, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Instituto de Salud Global de Barcelona (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Fernández-Arévalo
- Secció de Parasitologia, Departament de Biologia, Sanitat i Medi Ambient, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marco Solano
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Cochabamba, Bolivia
| | - Ernesto Rojas
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Cochabamba, Bolivia
| | - Alba Abras
- Departament de Biologia, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Fabiola Gonzales
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Cochabamba, Bolivia
| | - Yercin Mamani
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Cochabamba, Bolivia; Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Albert Arnau
- Secció de Parasitologia, Departament de Biologia, Sanitat i Medi Ambient, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Departament de Biologia, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Daniel Lozano
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Cochabamba, Bolivia; Fundación CEADES y Medio Ambiente, Cochabamba, Bolivia
| | - Joaquim Gascón
- Instituto de Salud Global de Barcelona (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain; CIBERINFEC, ISCIII- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
| | - Albert Picado
- Instituto de Salud Global de Barcelona (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Faustino Torrico
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Cochabamba, Bolivia; Fundación CEADES y Medio Ambiente, Cochabamba, Bolivia
| | - Carmen Muñoz
- Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Recerca Biomèdica Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain; Departament de Genètica i Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Montserrat Gállego
- Secció de Parasitologia, Departament de Biologia, Sanitat i Medi Ambient, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Instituto de Salud Global de Barcelona (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain; CIBERINFEC, ISCIII- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain.
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Kumar S, Chauhan SB, Upadhyay S, Singh SS, Verma V, Kumar R, Engwerda C, Nylén S, Sundar S. Altered IL-7 signaling in CD4+ T cells from patients with visceral leishmaniasis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0011960. [PMID: 38408097 PMCID: PMC10919868 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND CD4+ T cells play a central role in control of L. donovani infection, through IFN-γ production required for activation of macrophages and killing of intracellular parasites. Impaired control of parasites can in part be explained by hampered CD4+ T cells effector functions in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients. In a recent studies that defined transcriptional signatures for CD4+ T cells from active VL patients, we found that expression of the IL-7 receptor alpha chain (IL-7Rα; CD127) was downregulated, compared to CD4+ T cells from endemic controls (ECs). Since IL-7 signaling is critical for the survival and homeostatic maintenance of CD4+ T cells, we investigated this signaling pathway in VL patients, relative to ECs. METHODS CD4+ T cells were enriched from peripheral blood collected from VL patients and EC subjects and expression of IL7 and IL7RA mRNA was measured by real time qPCR. IL-7 signaling potential and surface expression of CD127 and CD132 on CD4+ T cell was analyzed by multicolor flow cytometry. Plasma levels of soluble IL-7 and sIL-7Rα were measured by ELISA. RESULT Transcriptional profiling data sets generated previously from our group showed lower IL7RA mRNA expression in VL CD4+ T cells as compared to EC. A significant reduction was, however not seen when assessing IL7RA mRNA by RT-qPCR. Yet, the levels of soluble IL-7Rα (sIL-7Rα) were reduced in plasma of VL patients compared to ECs. Furthermore, the levels of soluble IL-7 were higher in plasma from VL patients compared to ECs. Interestingly, expression of the IL-7Rα protein was higher on VL patient CD4+ T cells as compared to EC, with activated CD38+ CD4+ T cells showing higher surface expression of IL-7Rα compared to CD38- CD4+ T cells in VL patients. CD4+ T cells from VL patients had higher signaling potential baseline and after stimulation with recombinant human IL-7 (rhIL-7) compared to EC, as measured by phosphorylation of STAT5 (pSTAT5). Interestingly, it was the CD38 negative cells that had the highest level of pSTAT5 in VL patient CD4+ T cells after IL-7 stimulation. Thus, despite unaltered or potentially lowered IL7RA mRNA expression by CD4+ T cells from VL patients, the surface expression of the IL-7Rα was higher compared to EC and increased pSTAT5 was seen following exposure to rhIL-7. Accordingly, IL-7 signaling appears to be functional and even enhanced in VL CD4+ T cells and cannot explain the impaired effector function of VL CD4+ T cells. The enhanced plasma IL-7 may serve as part of homeostatic feedback mechanism regulating IL7RA expression in CD4+ T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shashi Kumar
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi Uttar Pradesh India
| | - Shashi Bhushan Chauhan
- School of Medicine & Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, Washington, United States of America
| | - Shreya Upadhyay
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi Uttar Pradesh India
| | - Siddharth Sankar Singh
- University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Vimal Verma
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi Uttar Pradesh India
| | - Rajiv Kumar
- Centre of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | | | - Susanne Nylén
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Shyam Sundar
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi Uttar Pradesh India
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Hong J, Mukherjee B, Sanjoba C, Yamagishi J, Goto Y. Upregulation of ATP6V0D2 benefits intracellular survival of Leishmania donovani in erythrocytes-engulfing macrophages. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1332381. [PMID: 38357442 PMCID: PMC10864549 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1332381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most severe type of leishmaniasis which is caused by infection of Leishmania donovani complex. In the BALB/c mouse model of VL, multinucleated giant cells (MGCs) with heavy parasite infection consist of the largest population of hemophagocytes in the spleen of L. donovani-infected mice, indicating that MGCs provide the parasites a circumstance beneficial for their survival. Although ATP6V0D2 is a demonstrated factor inducing the formation of hemophagocytic MGCs during L. donovani infection, functions of this protein in shaping the infection outcome in macrophages remain unclear. Here we evaluated the influence of upregulated ATP6V0D2 on intracellular survival of the parasites. L. donovani infection-induced hemophagocytosis of normal erythrocytes by macrophages was suppressed by RNAi-based knockdown of Atp6v0d2. The knockdown of Atp6v0d2 did not improve the survival of amastigotes within macrophages when the cells were cultured in the absence of erythrocytes. On the other hand, reduced intracellular survival of amastigotes in macrophages by the knockdown was observed when macrophages were supplemented with antibody-opsonized erythrocytes before infection. There, increase in cytosolic labile iron pool was observed in the L. donovani-infected knocked-down macrophages. It suggests that ATP6V0D2 plays roles not only in upregulation of hemophagocytosis but also in iron trafficking within L. donovani-infected macrophages. Superior access to iron in macrophages may be how the upregulated expression of the molecule brings benefit to Leishmania for their intracellular survival in the presence of erythrocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Hong
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Budhaditya Mukherjee
- School of Medical Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
| | - Chizu Sanjoba
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Junya Yamagishi
- International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Goto
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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Saini P, Fathima PA, Aiswarya RS, Ajithlal PM, Rajesh KR, Simi SM, Pradeep Kumar N, Kumar A. Cutaneous and Visceral Leishmaniasis Caused by the Same Zymodeme of Leishmania donovani in Kerala, India. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2024; 110:59-63. [PMID: 38109764 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.22-0586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The tribal population in and around the Western Ghats region of India is affected by both cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) with typical clinical symptoms. In this study, we recorded and analyzed seven CL and three VL cases from this emerging belt. All the cases were found as autochthonous transmission. Multiple genetic markers (minicircle kinetoplast DNA polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism of 3'untranslated region heat shock protein (HSP) 70, a larger segment of HSP 70, and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase [PGDH] gene sequences) were used to identify and characterize the parasite. It was found that both clinical manifestations are caused by zymodeme MON-37 of Leishmania donovani. We have investigated the detailed entomological and epidemiological aspects of disease transmission. An abundant population of the proven vector Phlebotomus argentipes was observed in the study villages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prasanta Saini
- Indian Council of Medical Research-Vector Control Research Centre (Field Station), Kottayam, India
| | | | - Rema Suresh Aiswarya
- Indian Council of Medical Research-Vector Control Research Centre (Field Station), Kottayam, India
| | | | | | | | - Narendran Pradeep Kumar
- Indian Council of Medical Research-Vector Control Research Centre (Field Station), Kottayam, India
| | - Ashwani Kumar
- Indian Council of Medical Research-Vector Control Research Centre, Puducherry, India
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30
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Baert L, Rudy S, Pellisson M, Doll T, Rocchetti R, Kaiser M, Mäser P, Müller M. Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived human macrophages as an infection model for Leishmania donovani. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0011559. [PMID: 38166146 PMCID: PMC10786377 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The parasite Leishmania donovani is one of the species causing visceral leishmaniasis in humans, a deadly infection claiming up to 40,000 lives each year. The current drugs for leishmaniasis treatment have severe drawbacks and there is an urgent need to find new anti-leishmanial compounds. However, the search for drug candidates is complicated by the intracellular lifestyle of Leishmania. Here, we investigate the use of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS)-derived macrophages (iMACs) as host cells for L. donovani. iMACs obtained through embryoid body differentiation were infected with L. donovani promastigotes, and high-content imaging techniques were used to optimize the iMACs seeding density and multiplicity of infection, allowing us to reach infection rates up to 70% five days after infection. IC50 values obtained for miltefosine and amphotericin B using the infected iMACs or mouse peritoneal macrophages as host cells were comparable and in agreement with the literature, showing the potential of iMACs as an infection model for drug screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lore Baert
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (SwissTPH), Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Serena Rudy
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mélanie Pellisson
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Thierry Doll
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Romina Rocchetti
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (SwissTPH), Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marcel Kaiser
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (SwissTPH), Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Mäser
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (SwissTPH), Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Müller
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
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Braillard S, Keenan M, Breese KJ, Heppell J, Abbott M, Islam R, Shackleford DM, Katneni K, Crighton E, Chen G, Patil R, Lee G, White KL, Carvalho S, Wall RJ, Chemi G, Zuccotto F, González S, Marco M, Deakyne J, Standing D, Brunori G, Lyon JJ, Castañeda Casado P, Camino I, Martinez MSM, Zulfiqar B, Avery VM, Feijens PB, Van Pelt N, Matheeussen A, Hendrickx S, Maes L, Caljon G, Yardley V, Wyllie S, Charman SA, Chatelain E. DNDI-6174 is a preclinical candidate for visceral leishmaniasis that targets the cytochrome bc 1. Sci Transl Med 2023; 15:eadh9902. [PMID: 38091406 PMCID: PMC7615677 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adh9902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
New drugs for visceral leishmaniasis that are safe, low cost, and adapted to the field are urgently required. Despite concerted efforts over the last several years, the number of new chemical entities that are suitable for clinical development for the treatment of Leishmania remains low. Here, we describe the discovery and preclinical development of DNDI-6174, an inhibitor of Leishmania cytochrome bc1 complex activity that originated from a phenotypically identified pyrrolopyrimidine series. This compound fulfills all target candidate profile criteria required for progression into preclinical development. In addition to good metabolic stability and pharmacokinetic properties, DNDI-6174 demonstrates potent in vitro activity against a variety of Leishmania species and can reduce parasite burden in animal models of infection, with the potential to approach sterile cure. No major flags were identified in preliminary safety studies, including an exploratory 14-day toxicology study in the rat. DNDI-6174 is a cytochrome bc1 complex inhibitor with acceptable development properties to enter preclinical development for visceral leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Braillard
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), Chemin Camille-Vidart 15, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Jacob Heppell
- Epichem Pty Ltd, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | | | - Rafiqul Islam
- Epichem Pty Ltd, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - David M. Shackleford
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville 3052, Australia
| | - Kasiram Katneni
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville 3052, Australia
| | - Elly Crighton
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville 3052, Australia
| | - Gong Chen
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville 3052, Australia
| | - Rahul Patil
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville 3052, Australia
| | - Given Lee
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville 3052, Australia
| | - Karen L. White
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville 3052, Australia
| | - Sandra Carvalho
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Richard J. Wall
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Giulia Chemi
- Drug Discovery Unit, Wellcome Centre for Anti-infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Fabio Zuccotto
- Drug Discovery Unit, Wellcome Centre for Anti-infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Silvia González
- Global Health Medicines R&D, GlaxoSmithKline, Tres Cantos, Madrid 28760, Spain
| | - Maria Marco
- Global Health Medicines R&D, GlaxoSmithKline, Tres Cantos, Madrid 28760, Spain
| | | | | | - Gino Brunori
- Global Investigative Safety, GSK, Ware, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | - Bilal Zulfiqar
- Discovery Biology, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia 4111
| | - Vicky M. Avery
- Discovery Biology, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia 4111
| | - Pim-Bart Feijens
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Natascha Van Pelt
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - An Matheeussen
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Sarah Hendrickx
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Guy Caljon
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Vanessa Yardley
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Wyllie
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Susan A. Charman
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville 3052, Australia
| | - Eric Chatelain
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), Chemin Camille-Vidart 15, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
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Ahmed G, Jamal F, Tiwari RK, Singh V, Rai SN, Chaturvedi SK, Pandey K, Singh SK, Kumar A, Narayan S, Vamanu E. Arsenic exposure to mouse visceral leishmaniasis model through their drinking water linked to the disease exacerbation via modulation in host protective immunity: a preclinical study. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21461. [PMID: 38052913 PMCID: PMC10698031 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48642-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
A large body of evidence has shown a direct link between arsenic exposure and drug resistance to Leishmania parasites against antimonial preparations in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) hyper-endemic regions, especially in India and its sub-continent. However, the implicated roles of arsenic on the VL host, pathophysiological changes, and immune function have not yet been clarified, particularly at the reported concentration of arsenic in the VL hyper-endemic area of Bihar, India. Herein, we exposed the mouse VL model to arsenic (0.5 mg/L to 2 mg/L) through their drinking water and analyzed its effect on T cells proliferation, Th1/Th2-mediators, MAPK signaling cascade, and parasite load in preclinical models. Coherently, the parasite count in Giemsa stained spleen imprint has been investigated and found significant positive associations with levels of arsenic exposure. The liver and kidney function tests (AST, ALT, ALP, BUN, Creatinine, Urea, etc.) are apparent to hepatonephric toxicity in arsenic exposed VL mice compared to unexposed. This observation appears to be consistent with the up-regulated expression of immune regulatory Th2 mediators (IL-4, IL-10, TGF-β) and down-regulated expression of Th1 mediators (IL-12, IFN-γ, TNF-α) with a suppressed leishmanicidal function of macrophage (ROS, NO, iNOS). We also established that arsenic exposure modulated the host ERK-1/2 and p38 MAPK signaling cascade, limited T lymphocyte proliferation, and a lower IgG2a/IgG1 ratio to favor the Leishmania parasite survival inside the host. This study suggests that the contorted Th1-subtype and exacerbated Th2-subtype immune responses are involved in the increased susceptibility and pathogenesis of Leishmania parasite among subjects/individuals regularly exposed to arsenic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghufran Ahmed
- Department of Microbiology, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, 800007, India
| | - Fauzia Jamal
- Department of Microbiology, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, 800007, India
| | - Ritesh K Tiwari
- Department of Biochemistry, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, 800007, India
| | - Veer Singh
- Department of Biochemistry, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, 800007, India
| | - Sachchida Nand Rai
- Centre of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India
| | - Sanjay K Chaturvedi
- Department of Microbiology, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, 800007, India
| | - Krishna Pandey
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, 800007, India
| | - Santosh K Singh
- Centre of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India
| | - Ashish Kumar
- Department of Biochemistry, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, 800007, India
| | - Shyam Narayan
- Department of Microbiology, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, 800007, India.
| | - Emanuel Vamanu
- Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 011464, Bucharest, Romania.
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Mano C, Kongkaew A, Tippawangkosol P, Junkum A, Siriyasatien P, Jariyapan N. In vitro susceptibility to miltefosine of amphotericin B-resistant Leishmania (Mundinia) martiniquensis. Parasitol Res 2023; 122:3027-3035. [PMID: 37796293 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-07992-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Leishmania (Mundinia) martiniquensis is a newly described species that causes human visceral, disseminated, and mucocutaneous leishmaniases. Amphotericin B deoxycholate (AmpB) is the first-line drug for the treatment of leishmaniasis in Thailand; however, several relapse cases of leishmaniasis caused by L. martiniquensis have been documented. In this study, in vitro susceptibility to AmpB and miltefosine (MIL) of wild-type (before treatment, LSCM1) and two AmpB-resistant L. martiniquensis strains (an in vitro-induced AmpB-resistant strain, AmpBRP2i, and a relapse strain, LSCM1-6) were determined. Results reveal that the IC50 value and resistance index against both drugs of promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of the AmpBRP2i and LSCM1-6 strains were statistically significantly higher than those of the LSCM1 strain suggesting that cross-resistance with MIL occurred in both AmpB-resistant strains. The results of this study advocate further investigation into mechanisms that involve the complex nature of AmpB/MIL resistance in L. martiniquensis and development of effective methods for the identification of the AmpB-resistant parasites to help delivery of appropriate treatments for patients and for epidemiological surveys to survey the potential spread of drug-resistant strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chonlada Mano
- Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
| | - Aphisek Kongkaew
- Animal House Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
| | - Pongsri Tippawangkosol
- Center of Insect Vector Study, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
| | - Anuluck Junkum
- Center of Insect Vector Study, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
| | - Padet Siriyasatien
- Center of Excellence in Vector Biology and Vector-Borne Disease, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Narissara Jariyapan
- Center of Excellence in Vector Biology and Vector-Borne Disease, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
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Ghosh D, Rashid MU, Sagar SK, Uddin MR, Maruf S, Ghosh P, Chowdhury R, Rahat MA, Islam MN, Aktaruzzaman MM, Sohel ANM, Banjara MR, Kroeger A, Aseffa A, Mondal D. Epidemiological, serological, and entomological aspects of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in suspected new VL foci in Bangladesh. Acta Trop 2023; 248:107021. [PMID: 37716668 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.107021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023]
Abstract
The study aimed to explore epidemiological, serological, and entomological aspects of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in suspected new VL foci and assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the community living in the alleged new VL foci. The study investigated new visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases reported between 2019 and 2020 in four sub-districts (Dharmapasha, Hakimpur, Islampur and Savar) where we tested 560 members using the rK39 rapid test and conducted vector collections in six neighbouring houses of the index cases to assess sandfly density and distribution, examined sandflies' infection, and determined the spatial relationship with VL infection. Furthermore, we highlighted the importance of early detection, and community awareness in controlling the spread of the disease. The study screened 1078 people from 231 households in the four sub-districts for fever, history of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), and PKDL-like skin lesions. Among sub-districts, positivity rate for rK39 rapid test was highest (3.5 %) in Savar. Sandflies were present across all areas except in Dharmapasha, but all 21 collected female P. argentipes sandflies were negative for Leishmania parasite DNA. We found one person from Islampur with a history of VL, and one from Islampur and another one from Savar had PKDL. After the awareness intervention, more people became familiar with VL infection (91.2 %), and their knowledge concerning sandflies being the vector of the disease and the risk of having VL increased significantly (30.1 %). The study found no active case in the suspected new foci, but some asymptomatic individuals were present. As sandfly vectors exist in these areas, the National Kala-azar Elimination Programme (NKEP) should consider these areas as kala-azar endemic and initiate control activities as per national guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debashis Ghosh
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Md Utba Rashid
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Soumik Kha Sagar
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Md Rasel Uddin
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Shomik Maruf
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Prakash Ghosh
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Rajashree Chowdhury
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Md Abu Rahat
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Md Nazmul Islam
- Communicable Disease Control (CDC), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - M M Aktaruzzaman
- Communicable Disease Control (CDC), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Abu Nayeem Mohammad Sohel
- Communicable Disease Control (CDC), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Megha Raj Banjara
- UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland; Central Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Axel Kroeger
- University of Freiburg, Centre for Medicine and Society, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Abraham Aseffa
- UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Dinesh Mondal
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.
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Jesus MM, Lage DP, Vale DL, Freitas CS, Pimenta BL, Moreira GJL, Ramos FF, Pereira IAG, Bandeira RS, Ludolf F, Tavares GSV, Galdino AS, Duarte MC, Menezes-Souza D, Chávez-Fumagalli MA, Teixeira AL, Gonçalves DU, Roatt BM, Christodoulides M, Martins VT, Coelho EAF. Immunization with recombinant LiHyp1 protein plus adjuvant is protective against tegumentary leishmaniasis. Parasitol Res 2023; 122:2917-2931. [PMID: 37768367 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-07981-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) is the main clinical manifestation of leishmaniasis, and it can cause the infected hosts to self-healing cutaneous lesions until mutilating scars in mucosal membranes, particularly in the nose and throat. The treatment against disease presents problems, and the diagnosis is hampered by variable sensitivity and/or specificity of the tests. In this context, the development of prophylactic vaccines could be considered as a strategy to control the disease. Previously, we showed that the recombinant LiHyp1 protein plus adjuvant protected mice from infection with Leishmania infantum, which causes visceral leishmaniasis. In the present study, we tested whether rLiHyp1 could induce protection against infection with L. amazonensis, a parasite species able to cause TL. We immunized BALB/c mice with rLiHyp1 plus saponin (rLiHyp1/S) or incorporated in micelles (rLiHyp1/M) as adjuvants and performed parasitological and immunological evaluations before and after infection. Results showed that after in vitro stimulation from spleen cell cultures using rLiHyp1 or a Leishmania antigenic extract (SLA), rLiHyp1/S and rLiHyp1/M groups developed a Th1-type immune response, which was characterized by high levels of IFN-γ, IL-2, TNF-α and IL-12 cytokines, nitrite, and IgG2a isotype antibodies when compared to values found in the control (saline, saponin, micelles alone) groups, which showed higher levels of anti-SLA IL-4, IL-10, and IgG1 antibodies before and after challenge. In addition, mice receiving rLiHyp1/S or rLiHyp1/M presented significant reductions in the lesion average diameter and parasite load in the infected tissue and internal organs. Blood samples were collected from healthy subjects and TL patients to obtain PBMC cultures, which were in vitro stimulated with rLiHyp1 or SLA, and results showed higher lymphoproliferation and IFN-γ production after stimulus using rLiHyp1, as compared to values found using SLA. These results suggest that rLiHyp1 plus adjuvant was protective against experimental TL and could also be considered for future studies as a vaccine candidate against human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo M Jesus
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Daniela P Lage
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Danniele L Vale
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Camila S Freitas
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Breno L Pimenta
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Gabriel J L Moreira
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Insituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Fernanda F Ramos
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Isabela A G Pereira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Raquel S Bandeira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Ludolf
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Grasiele S V Tavares
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Alexsandro S Galdino
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia de Microrganismos, Universidade Federal de São João Del-Rei, Divinópolis, MG, Brazil
| | - Mariana C Duarte
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Departamento de Patologia Clínica, COLTEC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 6627, Brazil
| | - Daniel Menezes-Souza
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Departamento de Patologia Clínica, COLTEC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 6627, Brazil
| | - Miguel A Chávez-Fumagalli
- Computational Biology and Chemistry Research Group, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Urb. San José S/N, Umacollo, Arequipa, Peru
| | - Antônio L Teixeira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Neuropsychiatry Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), 1941 East Road, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Denise U Gonçalves
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Bruno M Roatt
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Insituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Myron Christodoulides
- Neisseria Research Group, Molecular Microbiology, School of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, England
| | - Vívian T Martins
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Eduardo A F Coelho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
- Departamento de Patologia Clínica, COLTEC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 6627, Brazil.
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Souza DA, Oliveira-Santos LGR, Infran JDOM, Fernandes WDS, Arrua AEC, Piranda EM, de Oliveira AG. Spatiotemporal changes in exposition risk to leishmaniases vector in residences within a fishing tourism area of Pantanal wetland. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011809. [PMID: 38048353 PMCID: PMC10721170 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Miranda Municipality of Mato Grosso do Sul, borders the Pantanal wetland, a famous fishing destination visited by tourists from all over the world, and is a location where visceral leishmaniasis has been reported. To assess the risk of Leishmania infantum transmission, we studied the sandfly community, focusing on known vector and parasite presence. We conducted light trap collections twice per month at nine sites within the city (including two forested areas) for one year. We collected a total of 12,727 sand flies, 10,891 males and 1,836 females belonging to 11 species: Brumptomyia avellari, Evandromyia aldafalcaoae, Ev. evandroi, Ev. lenti, Ev. sallesi, Ev. walkeri, Lu. longipalpis, Nyssomyia whitmani, Psathyromyia bigeniculata, Pa. hermanlenti and Pa. punctigeniculata. Lutzomyia longipalpis, the proven vector of Leishmania infantum, was captured each month, and was the most abundant species observed, accounting for more than 99% of sand flies captured in most sites, especially where chicken coops were present. Evidence of Leishmania infantum infection was detected in 0.40% of Lu. longipalpis tested. We developed a generalized mixed multilevel model for Lu. longipalpis, that includes within-year seasonality, location of capture (indoors vs. outdoors), vector abundance, and sex ratio. The VL vector was abundant both inside and outside houses. Large numbers of Lu. longipalpis were observed in outdoor sites where domestic animals were present but were absent from forest sites. Our findings suggest high vector populations and Le. infantum presence in a city where tourists could be exposed to visceral leishmaniasis, with significant implications for more surveillance and control activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiana Alovisi Souza
- Graduate Program in Animal Biology, Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil
| | | | - Jucelei de Oliveira Moura Infran
- Laboratory of Human Parasitology, Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil
| | - Wagner de Souza Fernandes
- Laboratory of Human Parasitology, Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil
| | - Aline Etelvina Casaril Arrua
- Laboratory of Human Parasitology, Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil
| | - Eliane Mattos Piranda
- Laboratory of Human Parasitology, Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil
| | - Alessandra Gutierrez de Oliveira
- Graduate Program in Animal Biology, Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil
- Laboratory of Human Parasitology, Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil
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Moradimotlagh A, Chen S, Koohbor S, Moon KM, Foster LJ, Reiner N, Nandan D. Leishmania infection upregulates and engages host macrophage Argonaute 1, and system-wide proteomics reveals Argonaute 1-dependent host response. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1287539. [PMID: 38098491 PMCID: PMC10720368 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1287539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmania donovani, an intracellular protozoan parasite, is the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis, the most severe form of leishmaniasis in humans. It is becoming increasingly clear that several intracellular pathogens target host cell RNA interference (RNAi) pathways to promote their survival. Complexes of Argonaute proteins with small RNAs are core components of the RNAi. In this study, we investigated the potential role of host macrophage Argonautes in Leishmania pathogenesis. Using Western blot analysis of Leishmania donovani-infected macrophages, we show here that Leishmania infection selectively increased the abundance of host Argonaute 1 (Ago1). This increased abundance of Ago1 in infected cells also resulted in higher levels of Ago1 in active Ago-complexes, suggesting the preferred use of Ago1 in RNAi in Leishmania-infected cells. This analysis used a short trinucleotide repeat containing 6 (TNRC6)/glycine-tryptophan repeat protein (GW182) protein-derived peptide fused to Glutathione S-transferase as an affinity matrix to capture mature Ago-small RNAs complexes from the cytosol of non-infected and Leishmania-infected cells. Furthermore, Ago1 silencing significantly reduced intracellular survival of Leishmania, demonstrating that Ago1 is essential for Leishmania pathogenesis. To investigate the role of host Ago1 in Leishmania pathogenesis, a quantitative whole proteome approach was employed, which showed that expression of several previously reported Leishmania pathogenesis-related proteins was dependent on the level of macrophage Ago1. Together, these findings identify Ago1 as the preferred Argonaute of RNAi machinery in infected cells and a novel and essential virulence factor by proxy that promotes Leishmania survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atieh Moradimotlagh
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Stella Chen
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Sara Koohbor
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kyung-Mee Moon
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Leonard J. Foster
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Neil Reiner
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Devki Nandan
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Bento MF, de Souza GS, Vieira BS, da Silva ÂA, Krawczak FDS, de Moura VMBD. Sensitivity of PCR in conjunctival swab samples for the diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Rev Bras Parasitol Vet 2023; 32:e009423. [PMID: 38018627 PMCID: PMC10704863 DOI: 10.1590/s1984-29612023063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
To compare the sensitivity of conjunctival swab (CS) and conventional samples (blood, spleen, liver, lymphoid and cutaneous tissue) in the diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out using PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, VHL/BVS (Virtual Health Library), CAPES, and Scielo databases. Articles published from 2002 to 2022 were considered and the review was updated in Jul 2023. From the total of 371 identified studies, 8 met all the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. Data from 658 CVL-positive dogs and 2541 PCR results were considered. Using a random effect model, data on the sensitivity of the test was compared between intervention (CS samples) and comparison (all the other samples) groups. Overall, the use of CS in the PCR diagnosis of CVL produced 12% higher sensitivity (p=0.013) in the test than all the other samples in combination. The animals' clinical condition did not influence (p>0.142) this overall result. However, when CS was individually compared to each of the conventional samples, the consistent result was observed (p=0.012) only in the CS versus bone marrow comparison. Given their rapid acquisition, minimal invasiveness, and lower cost relative to conventional samples, CS samples present a promising alternative for the molecular diagnosis of CVL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Fagundes Bento
- Setor de Patologia Animal, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás – UFG, Goiânia, GO, Brasil
| | - Gabriela Scarpin de Souza
- Setor de Patologia Animal, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás – UFG, Goiânia, GO, Brasil
| | - Bruno Serpa Vieira
- Departamento de Zootecnia, Instituto Federal de Mato Grosso – IFMT, Alta Floresta, MT, Brasil
| | - Ângela Adamski da Silva
- Laboratório de Patologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás – UFG, Goiânia, GO, Brasil
| | - Felipe da Silva Krawczak
- Setor de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás – UFG, Goiânia, GO, Brasil
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Roberts T, Keddie SH, Rattanavong S, Gomez SR, Bradley J, Keogh RH, Bärenbold O, Falconer J, Mens PF, Hopkins H, Ashley EA. Accuracy of the direct agglutination test for diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Infect Dis 2023; 23:782. [PMID: 37946107 PMCID: PMC10636880 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08772-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parasitological investigation of bone marrow, splenic or lymph node aspirations is the gold standard for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). However, this invasive test requires skilled clinical and laboratory staff and adequate facilities, and sensitivity varies depending on the tissue used. The direct agglutination test (DAT) is a serological test that does not need specialised staff, with just minimal training required. While previous meta-analysis has shown DAT to have high sensitivity and specificity when using parasitology as the reference test for diagnosis, meta-analysis of DAT compared to other diagnostic techniques, such as PCR and ELISA, that are increasingly used in clinical and research settings, has not been done. METHODS We conducted a systematic review to determine the diagnostic performance of DAT compared to all available tests for the laboratory diagnosis of human VL. We searched electronic databases including Medline, Embase, Global Health, Scopus, WoS Science Citation Index, Wiley Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Africa-Wide Information, LILACS and WHO Global Index. Three independent reviewers screened reports and extracted data from eligible studies. A meta-analysis estimated the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of DAT. RESULTS Of 987 titles screened, 358 were selected for full data extraction and 78 were included in the analysis, reporting on 32,822 participants from 19 countries. Studies included were conducted between 1987-2020. Meta-analysis of studies using serum and DAT compared to any other test showed pooled sensitivity of 95% (95%CrI 90-98%) and pooled specificity of 95% (95%CrI 88-98%). Results were similar for freeze-dried DAT and liquid DAT when analysed separately. Sensitivity was lower for HIV-positive patients (90%, CrI 59-98%) and specificity was lower for symptomatic patients (70%, CrI 43-89%). When comparing different geographical regions, the lowest median sensitivity (89%, CrI 67-97%) was in Western Asia (five studies). CONCLUSIONS This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrates high estimated pooled sensitivity and specificity of DAT for diagnosis of VL, although sensitivity and specificity were lower for different patient groups and geographical locations. This review highlights the lack of standardisation of DAT methods and preparations, and the lack of data from some important geographical locations. Future well-reported studies could provide better evidence to inform test implementation for different patient populations and use cases. PROSPERO REGISTRATION CRD42021240830.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamalee Roberts
- Lao- Oxford-Mahosot Hospital- Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Mahosot Hospital, Mahosot Road, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic.
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | | | - Sayaphet Rattanavong
- Lao- Oxford-Mahosot Hospital- Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Mahosot Hospital, Mahosot Road, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic
| | - Santiago Rayment Gomez
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research, St Marys Campus, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - John Bradley
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Ruth H Keogh
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | | | - Jane Falconer
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Petra F Mens
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Experimental Parasitology Unit, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Academic Medical Center at the University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Heidi Hopkins
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Elizabeth A Ashley
- Lao- Oxford-Mahosot Hospital- Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Mahosot Hospital, Mahosot Road, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Basmenj ER, Arastonejad M, Mamizadeh M, Alem M, KhalatbariLimaki M, Ghiabi S, Khamesipour A, Majidiani H, Shams M, Irannejad H. Engineering and design of promising T-cell-based multi-epitope vaccine candidates against leishmaniasis. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19421. [PMID: 37940672 PMCID: PMC10632461 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46408-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a very common parasitic infection in subtropical areas worldwide. Throughout decades, there have been challenges in vaccine design and vaccination against CL. The present study introduced novel T-cell-based vaccine candidates containing IFN-γ Inducing epitopic fragments from Leishmania major (L. major) glycoprotein 46 (gp46), cathepsin L-like and B-like proteases, histone H2A, glucose-regulated protein 78 (grp78) and stress-inducible protein 1 (STI-1). For this aim, top-ranked human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-specific, IFN-γ Inducing, antigenic, CD4+ and CD8+ binders were highlighted. Four vaccine candidates were generated using different spacers (AAY, GPGPG, GDGDG) and adjuvants (RS-09 peptide, human IFN-γ, a combination of both, Mycobacterium tuberculosis Resuscitation promoting factor E (RpfE)). Based on the immune simulation profile, those with RS-09 peptide (Leish-App) and RpfE (Leish-Rpf) elicited robust immune responses and their tertiary structure were further refined. Also, molecular docking of the selected vaccine models with the human toll-like receptor 4 showed proper interactions, particularly for Leish-App, for which molecular dynamics simulations showed a stable connection with TLR-4. Upon codon optimization, both models were finally ligated into the pET28a( +) vector. In conclusion, two potent multi-epitope vaccine candidates were designed against CL and evaluated using comprehensive in silico methods, while further wet experiments are, also, recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mahshid Arastonejad
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Mina Mamizadeh
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran
- Zoonotic Diseases Research Center, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran
| | - Mahsa Alem
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
| | - Mahdi KhalatbariLimaki
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | - Shadan Ghiabi
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Khamesipour
- Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 14155-6383, Iran
| | - Hamidreza Majidiani
- Healthy Aging Research Centre, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran.
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran.
| | - Morteza Shams
- Zoonotic Diseases Research Center, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.
| | - Hamid Irannejad
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
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Roy L, Cloots K, Uranw S, Rai K, Bhattarai NR, Smekens T, Hendrickx R, Caljon G, Hasker E, Das ML, Van Bortel W. The ongoing risk of Leishmania donovani transmission in eastern Nepal: an entomological investigation during the elimination era. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:404. [PMID: 37932813 PMCID: PMC10629032 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05986-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a life-threatening neglected tropical disease, is targeted for elimination from Nepal by the year 2026. The national VL elimination program is still confronted with many challenges including the increasingly widespread distribution of the disease over the country, local resurgence and the questionable efficacy of the key vector control activities. In this study, we assessed the status and risk of Leishmania donovani transmission based on entomological indicators including seasonality, natural Leishmania infection rate and feeding behavior of vector sand flies, Phlebotomus argentipes, in three districts that had received disease control interventions in the past several years in the context of the disease elimination effort. METHODS We selected two epidemiologically contrasting settings in each survey district, one village with and one without reported VL cases in recent years. Adult sand flies were collected using CDC light traps and mouth aspirators in each village for 12 consecutive months from July 2017 to June 2018. Leishmania infection was assessed in gravid sand flies targeting the small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene of the parasite (SSU-rRNA) and further sequenced for species identification. A segment (~ 350 bp) of the vertebrate cytochrome b (cytb) gene was amplified from blood-fed P. argentipes from dwellings shared by both humans and cattle and sequenced to identify the preferred host. RESULTS Vector abundance varied among districts and village types and peaks were observed in June, July and September to November. The estimated Leishmania infection rate in vector sand flies was 2.2% (1.1%-3.7% at 95% credible interval) and 0.6% (0.2%-1.3% at 95% credible interval) in VL and non-VL villages respectively. The common source of blood meal was humans in both VL (52.7%) and non-VL (74.2%) villages followed by cattle. CONCLUSIONS Our findings highlight the risk of ongoing L. donovani transmission not only in villages with VL cases but also in villages not reporting the presence of the disease over the past several years within the districts having disease elimination efforts, emphasize the remaining threats of VL re-emergence and inform the national program for critical evaluation of disease elimination strategies in Nepal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lalita Roy
- Tropical and Infectious Disease Centre, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Kristien Cloots
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Surendra Uranw
- Department of Internal Medicine, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
| | - Keshav Rai
- Department of Microbiology, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
| | - Narayan R Bhattarai
- Department of Microbiology, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
| | - Tom Smekens
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Rik Hendrickx
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Guy Caljon
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Epco Hasker
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Murari L Das
- Department of Microbiology, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
| | - Wim Van Bortel
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Outbreak Research Team, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
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Lima VA, Silva REC, Camargo LHMC, Hiramoto RM, Leal EDS, Braz LMA, Lindoso JAL. Genetic variability of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum causing human visceral leishmaniasis in the Southeastern Brazil. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2023; 65:e55. [PMID: 37878972 PMCID: PMC10588988 DOI: 10.1590/s1678-9946202365055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmania infantum is a protozoan that causes visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Americas and some regions of Europe. The disease is mainly characterized by hepatosplenomegaly and fever, and can be fatal. Factors related to the host and parasite can contribute to the transmission of Leishmania and the clinical outcome. The intraspecific genetic variability of L. infantum strains may be one of these factors. In this study, we evaluated the genetic variability of L. infantum obtained from bone marrow smear slides from patients in the Sao Paulo State, Brazil. For this, the minicircle of the kDNA hypervariable region was used as target by Sanger sequencing. By analyzing the similarity of the nucleotides and the maximum likelihood tree (Fasttree), we observed a high similarity (98%) among samples. Moreover, we identified four different profiles of L. infantum. In conclusion, L. infantum strains from Sao Paulo State, Brazil, showed low diversity measured by minicircle of the kDNA hypervariable region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinicius Alves Lima
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Moléstias Infecciosas e Parasitárias, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, Laboratório de Protozoologia (LIM-49), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renata Elen Costa Silva
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Moléstias Infecciosas e Parasitárias, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Laboratório de Endocrinologia Molecular e Translacional, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Elcio de Souza Leal
- Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Lucia Maria Almeida Braz
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Medicina Preventiva, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - José Angelo Lauletta Lindoso
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Moléstias Infecciosas e Parasitárias, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, Laboratório de Protozoologia (LIM-49), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto de Infectologia Emilio Ribas, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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43
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Rocha R, Gonçalves L, Conceição C, Andrade P, Cristóvão JM, Condeço J, Delgado B, Caeiro C, Kuzmenko T, Vasconcelos E, Escoval MA, Rey C, Guz M, Norte C, Aldeia C, Cruz D, Maia C. Prevalence of asymptomatic Leishmania infection and knowledge, perceptions, and practices in blood donors in mainland Portugal. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:357. [PMID: 37817278 PMCID: PMC10563231 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05980-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Asymptomatic infection is the most common outcome of exposure to Leishmania parasites. In the Mediterranean region, where Leishmania infantum is endemic, studies on the prevalence of asymptomatic infection have often relied on serological testing in blood donors. In Spain, regional studies have shown seroprevalence in blood donors between 1 and 8%; in Portugal, values of 0 and 2% were suggested by two localized studies, in different populations. The purpose of this study was (i) to estimate the prevalence of asymptomatic Leishmania infection in blood donors in mainland Portugal, and (ii) to study the association between the detection of antibodies to Leishmania and sociodemographic factors, and also the knowledge, perceptions and practices (KPP) of the blood donors regarding leishmaniasis. METHODS A cross-sectional study targeted the population of people who donated blood in mainland Portugal. Participants, distributed proportionally by municipality and aged between 18 and 65 years, were selected randomly in 347 blood collection points between February and June 2022, and completed a sociodemographic and a KPP questionnaire. Detection of anti-Leishmania antibodies in serum was performed using an ELISA commercial kit. Individual KPP scores were calculated by adding grades defined for each question. RESULTS Globally, 201/3763 samples were positive. The estimated national true seroprevalence was 4.8% (95% CI 4.1-5.5%). The proportion of positive results was significantly different between NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) regions. Models suggested that seropositivity was significantly higher in male sex, people older than 25 years, or residing in the Centro NUTS2 region, but not in dog owners nor people with lower KPP scores. Overall, 72.3% of participants had previously heard of leishmaniasis and, in multivariate analysis, a higher Knowledge score was associated with age 25-40 years, female sex, ownership of dogs, and higher education. CONCLUSIONS Global estimated true seroprevalence (4.8%) was similar to previous regional studies in blood donors in neighboring Spain. Higher seroprevalence values in the NUTS2 Centro region were consistent with incidence data from humans and seroprevalence studies in dogs. On the other hand, the low values in the Alentejo and the high values in the northern subregions may be the result of geographical shifts in parasite circulation due to climate change and should prompt localized and integrated, vector, canine, and human research, following a One Health approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Rocha
- Instituto de Higiene E Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, IHMT, UNL, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Luzia Gonçalves
- Instituto de Higiene E Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, IHMT, UNL, Lisbon, Portugal
- Centro de Estatística E Aplicações da Universidade de Lisboa (UL), Lisbon, Portugal
- , Z-Stat4life, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Cláudia Conceição
- Instituto de Higiene E Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, IHMT, UNL, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Andrade
- Instituto de Higiene E Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - José Manuel Cristóvão
- Instituto de Higiene E Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, IHMT, UNL, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Jorge Condeço
- Instituto Português Do Sangue E da Transplantação, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Beatriz Delgado
- Instituto Português Do Sangue E da Transplantação, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Cristina Caeiro
- Instituto Português Do Sangue E da Transplantação, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Tetyana Kuzmenko
- Instituto Português Do Sangue E da Transplantação, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | | | - Carmen Rey
- Centro Hospitalar Universitário Do Algarve, Portimão, Portugal
| | - Madalina Guz
- Hospital do Espírito Santo de Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - Cláudia Norte
- Unidade Local de Saúde Do Baixo Alentejo, Beja, Portugal
| | - Carlos Aldeia
- Unidade Local de Saúde Do Litoral Alentejano, Santiago Do Cacém, Portugal
| | - Diego Cruz
- Unidade Local de Saúde Do Norte Alentejano, Elvas, Portugal
| | - Carla Maia
- Instituto de Higiene E Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal.
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, IHMT, UNL, Lisbon, Portugal.
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Pabon-Rodriguez FM, Brown GD, Scorza BM, Petersen CA. Bayesian multivariate longitudinal model for immune responses to Leishmania: A tick-borne co-infection study. Stat Med 2023; 42:3860-3876. [PMID: 37350148 DOI: 10.1002/sim.9837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
While many Bayesian state-space models for infectious disease processes focus on population infection dynamics (eg, compartmental models), in this work we examine the evolution of infection processes and the complexities of the immune responses within the host using these techniques. We present a joint Bayesian state-space model to better understand how the immune system contributes to the control of Leishmania infantum infections over the disease course. We use longitudinal molecular diagnostic and clinical data of a cohort of dogs to describe population progression rates and present evidence for important drivers of clinical disease. Among these results, we find evidence for the importance of co-infection in disease progression. We also show that as dogs progress through the infection, parasite load is influenced by their age, ectoparasiticide treatment status, and serology. Furthermore, we present evidence that pathogen load information from an earlier point in time influences its future value and that the size of this effect varies depending on the clinical stage of the dog. In addition to characterizing the processes driving disease progression, we predict individual and aggregate patterns of Canine Leishmaniasis progression. Both our findings and the application to individual-level predictions are of direct clinical relevance, presenting possible opportunities for application in veterinary practice and motivating lines of additional investigation to better understand and predict disease progression. Finally, as an important zoonotic human pathogen, these results may support future efforts to prevent and treat human Leishmaniosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix M Pabon-Rodriguez
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Grant D Brown
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Breanna M Scorza
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Christine A Petersen
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
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Liao X, He J, Wang R, Zhang J, Wei S, Xiao Y, Zhou Q, Zheng X, Zhu Z, Zheng Z, Li J, Zeng Z, Chen D, Chen J. TLR-2 agonist Pam3CSK4 has no therapeutic effect on visceral leishmaniasis in BALB/c mice and may enhance the pathogenesis of the disease. Immunobiology 2023; 228:152725. [PMID: 37562277 DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2023.152725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Most of the existing Leishmania-related research about TLR-2 agonists was focusing on their role as adjuvants in the vaccine, few studied its therapeutic effect. This paper aims to explore the therapeutic effect of TLR-2 agonist Pam3CSK4 on Leishmania-infected mice and the underlying immune molecular mechanisms. In L. donovani-infected BALB/c mice, one group was treated with Pam3CSK4 after infection and the other group was not treated. Normal uninfected mice treated with Pam3CSK4 or untreated were used as controls. Parasite load, hepatic pathology and serum antibodies were detected to assess the severity of the infection. The expression of immune-related genes, spleen lymphocyte subsets and liver RNA-seq were employed to reveal possible molecular mechanisms. The results showed that the liver and spleen parasite load of infected mice in Pam3CSK4 treated and untreated groups had no statistical difference, indicating Pam3CSK4 might have no therapeutic effect on visceral leishmaniasis. Infected mice treated with Pam3CSK4 possessed more hepatic inflammation focus, lower IgG and IgG2a antibody titers, and a lower proportion of spleen CD3+CD4+ T cells. Transcriptome analysis revealed that Th1/Th2 differentiation, NK cells, Th17 cell, complement system and calcium signaling pathways were down-regulated post-treatment of Pam3CSK4. In this study, TLR-2 agonist Pam3CSK4 showed no therapeutic effect on visceral leishmaniasis in BALB/c mice and might enhance the pathogenesis of the disease possibly due to the down-regulation of several immune-related pathways, which can improve our understanding of the role of TLR-2 in both treatment and vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuechun Liao
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jinlei He
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ruanyan Wang
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jianhui Zhang
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Shulan Wei
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuying Xiao
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qi Zhou
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaoting Zheng
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zheying Zhu
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhiwan Zheng
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Sichuan-Chongqing jointly-established Research Platform of Zoonosis, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiao Li
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Sichuan-Chongqing jointly-established Research Platform of Zoonosis, Chengdu, China
| | - Zheng Zeng
- Sichuan-Chongqing jointly-established Research Platform of Zoonosis, Chengdu, China; Chong Qing Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Chongqing, China
| | - Dali Chen
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Sichuan-Chongqing jointly-established Research Platform of Zoonosis, Chengdu, China.
| | - Jianping Chen
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Sichuan-Chongqing jointly-established Research Platform of Zoonosis, Chengdu, China.
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46
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Shahid SK. Recent patents in the treatment and prevention of leishmaniasis. Pharm Pat Anal 2023; 12:237-248. [PMID: 38063376 DOI: 10.4155/ppa-2023-0022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease, is caused by protozoal parasites of the genus Leishmania. Clinical manifestations vary from asymptomatic to lethal grade depending on the type of the disease. The currently available antileishmanial drugs suffer from considerable limitations. There is a dire need for better and safer drugs and/or vaccines to eradicate this disease. There are enormous developments ongoing in this field. Newer combinations of existing drugs and newer drugs targeting these intracellular parasites as well as their vectors are being tried to control the disease. Attempts to develop vaccines to enhance the immunity of the patient have shown some promise. This article is a peep into the recent patent developments in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sukhbir K Shahid
- Consultant Paediatrician & Paediatric Pulmonologist, Mumbai, 400077, India
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47
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de Freitas Milagres T, López-de-Felipe M, da Silva WJ, Martín-Martín I, Gálvez R, da Silva OS. Same parasite, different outcomes: unraveling the epidemiology of Leishmania infantum infection in Brazil and Spain. Trends Parasitol 2023; 39:774-785. [PMID: 37442747 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Human leishmaniosis caused by Leishmania infantum is an important health problem worldwide. One of the main aspects arousing interest is the epidemiological scenario surrounding Le. infantum infection in the New World (NW) and Old World (OW). This parasite was introduced to the Americas during European colonization leading to different epidemiology outcomes, even more enigmatic in the face of global changes. Thus, this review aims to highlight the differences and similarities between Le. infantum epidemiology between Brazil (NW) and Spain (OW), as both countries are leading the total number of leishmaniosis cases in their respective continents. Grounded on a systemic view, this article also draws attention to possible common innovative strategies to rethink ways of controlling infections caused by Le. infantum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarcísio de Freitas Milagres
- Flebocollect Medical Entomology Citizen Science Group, Madrid, Spain; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | | | - Wellington Junior da Silva
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Inés Martín-Martín
- Laboratory of Medical Entomology, National Center for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rosa Gálvez
- Flebocollect Medical Entomology Citizen Science Group, Madrid, Spain; Department of Specific Didactics, School of Education and Teacher Training, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Onilda Santos da Silva
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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Stögerer T, Silva-Barrios S, Carmona-Pérez L, Swaminathan S, Mai LT, Leroux LP, Jaramillo M, Descoteaux A, Stäger S. Leishmania donovani Exploits Tunneling Nanotubes for Dissemination and Propagation of B Cell Activation. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0509622. [PMID: 37404188 PMCID: PMC10434010 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.05096-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Polyclonal B cell activation and the resulting hypergammaglobulinemia are a detrimental consequence of visceral leishmaniasis (VL); however, the mechanisms underlying this excessive production of nonprotective antibodies are still poorly understood. Here, we show that a causative agent of VL, Leishmania donovani, induces CD21-dependent formation of tunneling nanotubule (TNT)-like protrusions in B cells. These intercellular connections are used by the parasite to disseminate among cells and propagate B cell activation, and close contact both among the cells and between B cells and parasites is required to achieve this activation. Direct contact between cells and parasites is also observed in vivo, as L. donovani can be detected in the splenic B cell area as early as 14 days postinfection. Interestingly, Leishmania parasites can also glide from macrophages to B cells via TNT-like protrusions. Taken together, our results suggest that, during in vivo infection, B cells may acquire L. donovani from macrophages via TNT-like protrusions, and these connections are subsequently exploited by the parasite to disseminate among B cells, thus propagating B cell activation and ultimately leading to polyclonal B cell activation. IMPORTANCE Leishmania donovani is a causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis, a potentially lethal disease characterized by strong B cell activation and the subsequent excessive production of nonprotective antibodies, which are known to worsen the disease. How Leishmania activates B cells is still unknown, particularly because this parasite mostly resides inside macrophages and would not have access to B cells during infection. In this study, we describe for the first time how the protozoan parasite Leishmania donovani induces and exploits the formation of protrusions that connect B lymphocytes with each other or with macrophages and glides on these structures from one cell to another. In this way, B cells can acquire Leishmania from macrophages and become activated upon contact with the parasites. This activation will then lead to antibody production. These findings provide an explanation for how the parasite may propagate B cell activation during infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Stögerer
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) – Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie and Infectiopôle INRS, Laval, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sasha Silva-Barrios
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) – Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie and Infectiopôle INRS, Laval, Quebec, Canada
| | - Liseth Carmona-Pérez
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) – Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie and Infectiopôle INRS, Laval, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sharada Swaminathan
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) – Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie and Infectiopôle INRS, Laval, Quebec, Canada
| | - Linh Thuy Mai
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) – Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie and Infectiopôle INRS, Laval, Quebec, Canada
| | - Louis-Philippe Leroux
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) – Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie and Infectiopôle INRS, Laval, Quebec, Canada
| | - Maritza Jaramillo
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) – Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie and Infectiopôle INRS, Laval, Quebec, Canada
| | - Albert Descoteaux
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) – Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie and Infectiopôle INRS, Laval, Quebec, Canada
| | - Simona Stäger
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) – Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie and Infectiopôle INRS, Laval, Quebec, Canada
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Mazire PH, Roy A. An integrative in silico and in vitro study identifies Leishmania donovani MAP kinase12 as a probable virulence factor. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 121:110496. [PMID: 37329806 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a potentially fatal vector-borne disease caused by the intracellular protozoan parasite Leishmania donovani, remains a major health problem due to restricted repertoire of drugs, deleterious side effects, high cost and increasing drug resistance. Therefore, identifying newer drug targets and developing efficacious affordable treatments with minimal or no side effects are pressing needs. Being regulators of diverse cellular processes, Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (MAPKs) are potential drug targets. Herein, we report L.donovani MAPK12 (LdMAPK12) as a probable virulence factor implying it as a plausible target. LdMAPK12 sequence is distinct from human MAPKs and is highly conserved in different Leishmania species. LdMAPK12 is expressed in both promastigotes and amastigotes. In comparison with the avirulent and procyclic promastigotes, the virulent and metacyclic promastigotes have higher expression of LdMAPK12. Pro-inflammatory cytokines reduced, whereas anti-inflammatory cytokines increased LdMAPK12 expression in macrophages. These data suggest a probable novel role of LdMAPK12 in parasite virulence and identifies it as a plausible drug target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka H Mazire
- Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411007, India
| | - Amit Roy
- Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411007, India.
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Mahdavi R, Shams-Eldin H, Witt S, Latz A, Heinz D, Fresco-Taboada A, Aira C, Hübner MP, Sukyte D, Visekruna A, Teixeira HC, Abass E, Steinhoff U. Development of a Novel Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay and Lateral Flow Test System for Improved Serodiagnosis of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Different Areas of Endemicity. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0433822. [PMID: 37074181 PMCID: PMC10269724 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04338-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is caused by protozoan parasites of the Leishmania donovani complex and is one of the most prominent vector-borne infectious diseases with epidemic and mortality potential if not correctly diagnosed and treated. East African countries suffer from a very high incidence of VL, and although several diagnostic tests are available for VL, diagnosis continues to represent a big challenge in these countries due to the lack of sensitivity and specificity of current serological tools. Based on bioinformatic analysis, a new recombinant kinesin antigen from Leishmania infantum (rKLi8.3) was developed. The diagnostic performance of rKLi8.3 was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and lateral flow test (LFT) on a panel of sera from Sudanese, Indian, and South American patients diagnosed with VL or other diseases, including tuberculosis, malaria, and trypanosomiasis. The diagnostic accuracy of rKLi8.3 was compared with rK39 and rKLO8 antigens. The VL-specific sensitivity of rK39, rKLO8, and rKLi8.3 ranged from 91.2% over 92.4% to 97.1% and specificity ranged from 93.6% over 97.6% to 99.2%, respectively. In India, all tests showed a comparable specificity of 90.9%, while the sensitivity ranged from 94.7% to 100% (rKLi8.3). In contrast to commercial serodiagnostic tests, rKLi8.3-based ELISA and LFT showed improved sensitivity and no cross-reactivity with other parasitic diseases. Thus, rKLi8.3-based ELISA and LFT offer improved VL serodiagnostic efficiency in East Africa and other areas of endemicity. IMPORTANCE Reliable and field suitable serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in East Africa has until now been a big challenge due to low sensitivity and cross-reactivity with other pathogens. To improve VL serodiagnosis, a new recombinant kinesin antigen from Leishmania infantum (rKLi8.3) was developed and tested with a panel of sera from Sudanese, Indian, and South American patients diagnosed with VL or other infectious diseases. Both prototype rKLi8.3-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and lateral flow test (LFT) showed improved sensitivity and no cross-reactivity with other parasitic diseases. Thus, rKLi8.3-based ELISA and LFT offer substantially increased diagnostic efficiency for VL in East Africa and other areas of endemicity, compared to currently commercially available serodiagnostic tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rouzbeh Mahdavi
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Hosam Shams-Eldin
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Sandra Witt
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Latz
- Novatec Immundiagnostica GmbH, part of Gold Standard Diagnostics Europe, Dietzenbach, Germany
| | - Daniela Heinz
- Novatec Immundiagnostica GmbH, part of Gold Standard Diagnostics Europe, Dietzenbach, Germany
| | - Alba Fresco-Taboada
- Eurofins-Immunologia y Genética Aplicada S.A. (Eurofins Ingenasa S.A.), Madrid, Spain
| | - Cristina Aira
- Eurofins-Immunologia y Genética Aplicada S.A. (Eurofins Ingenasa S.A.), Madrid, Spain
| | - Marc P. Hübner
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
| | - Dalia Sukyte
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Visekruna
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Henrique C. Teixeira
- Department of Parasitology, Microbiology and Immunology, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
| | - Elfadil Abass
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ulrich Steinhoff
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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