Population structure and evidence for both clonality and recombination among Brazilian strains of the subgenus Leishmania (Viannia).

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Parasites of the subgenus Leishmania (Viannia) cause varying clinical symptoms ranging from cutaneous leishmaniases (CL) with single or few lesions, disseminated CL (DL) with multiple lesions to disfiguring forms of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL). In this population genetics study, 37 strains of L. (V.) guyanensis, 63 of L. (V.) braziliensis, four of L. (V.) shawi, six of L. (V.) lainsoni, seven of L. (V.) naiffi, one each of L. (V.) utingensis and L. (V.) lindenbergi, and one L. (V.) lainsoni/L. naiffi hybrid from different endemic foci in Brazil were examined for variation at 15 hyper-variable microsatellite markers. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The multilocus microsatellite profiles obtained for the 120 strains were analysed using both model- and distance-based methods. Significant genetic diversity was observed for all L. (Viannia) strains studied. The two cluster analysis approaches identified two principal genetic groups or populations, one consisting of strains of L. (V.) guyanensis from the Amazon region and the other of strains of L. (V.) braziliensis isolated along the Atlantic coast of Brazil. A third group comprised a heterogeneous assembly of species, including other strains of L. braziliensis isolated from the north of Brazil, which were extremely polymorphic. The latter strains seemed to be more closely related to those of L. (V.) shawi, L. (V.) naiffi, and L. (V.) lainsoni, also isolated in northern Brazilian foci. The MLMT approach identified an epidemic clone consisting of 13 strains of L. braziliensis from Minas Gerais, but evidence for recombination was obtained for the populations of L. (V.) braziliensis from the Atlantic coast and for L. (V.) guyanensis. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Different levels of recombination versus clonality seem to occur within the subgenus L. (Viannia). Though clearly departing from panmixia, sporadic, but long-term sustained recombination might explain the tremendous genetic diversity and limited population structure found for such L. (Viannia) strains

Development and validation of PCR-based assays for diagnosis of American cutaneous leishmaniasis and identificatio nof the parasite species

In this study, PCR assays targeting different Leishmania heat-shock protein 70 gene (hsp70) regions, producing fragments ranging in size from 230-390 bp were developed and evaluated to determine their potential as a tool for the specific molecular diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). A total of 70 Leishmania strains were analysed, including seven reference strains (RS) and 63 previously typed strains. Analysis of the RS indicated a specific region of 234 bp in the hsp70 gene as a valid target that was highly sensitive for detection of Leishmania species DNA with capacity of distinguishing all analyzed species, after polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorfism (PCR-RFLP). This PCR assay was compared with other PCR targets used for the molecular diagnosis of leishmaniasis: hsp70 (1400-bp region), internal transcribed spacer (ITS)1 and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6pd). A good agreement among the methods was observed concerning the Leishmania species identification. Moreover, to evaluate the potential for molecular diagnosis, we compared the PCR targets hsp70-234 bp, ITS1, G6pd and mkDNA using a panel of 99 DNA samples from tissue fragments collected from patients with confirmed CL. Both PCR-hsp70-234 bp and PCR-ITS1 detected Leishmania DNA in more than 70% of the samples. However, using hsp70-234 bp PCR-RFLP, identification of all of the Leishmania species associated with CL in Brazil can be achieved employing a simpler and cheaper electrophoresis protocol

Successful isolation of Leishmania infantum from Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (Acari : Ixodidae) collected from naturally infected dogs

Background: The main transmission route of Leishmania infantum is through the bites of sand flies. However, alternative mechanisms are being investigated, such as through the bites of ticks, which could have epidemiological relevance. The objective of this work was to verify the presence of Leishmania spp. In Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato collected from naturally infected dogs in the Federal District of Brazil. Methods: Ticks were dissected to remove their intestines and salivary glands for DNA extraction and the subsequent amplification of the conserved region of 120 bp of kDNA and 234 bp of the hsp70 gene of Leishmania spp. The amplified kDNA products were digested with endonucleases HaeIII and BstUI and were submitted to DNA sequencing. Isolated Leishmania parasites from these ticks were analyzed by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis, and the DNA obtained from this culture was subjected to microsatellite analyses. Results: Overall, 130 specimens of R. sanguineus were collected from 27 dogs. Leishmania spp. were successfully isolated in culture from five pools of salivary glands and the intestines of ticks collected from four dogs. The amplified kDNA products from the dog blood samples and from the tick cultures, when digested by HaeIII and BstUI, revealed the presence of L. braziliensis and L. infantum. One strain was cultivated and characterized as L. infantum by enzyme electrophoresis. The amplified kDNA products from the blood of one dog showed a sequence homology with L. braziliensis; however, the amplified kDNA from the ticks collected from this dog showed a sequence homology to L. infantum. Conclusion: The results confirm that the specimens of R. sanguineus that feed on dogs naturally infected by L. infantum contain the parasite DNA in their intestines and salivary glands, and viable L. infantum can be successfully isolated from these ectoparasites

Leishmania Genome Dynamics during Environmental Adaptation Reveal Strain-Specific Differences in Gene Copy Number Variation, Karyotype Instability, and Telomeric Amplification.

Protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania adapt to environmental change through chromosome and gene copy number variations. Only little is known about external or intrinsic factors that govern Leishmania genomic adaptation. Here, by conducting longitudinal genome analyses of 10 new Leishmania clinical isolates, we uncovered important differences in gene copy number among genetically highly related strains and revealed gain and loss of gene copies as potential drivers of long-term environmental adaptation in the field. In contrast, chromosome rather than gene amplification was associated with short-term environmental adaptation to in vitro culture. Karyotypic solutions were highly reproducible but unique for a given strain, suggesting that chromosome amplification is under positive selection and dependent on species- and strain-specific intrinsic factors. We revealed a progressive increase in read depth towards the chromosome ends for various Leishmania isolates, which may represent a nonclassical mechanism of telomere maintenance that can preserve integrity of chromosome ends during selection for fast in vitro growth. Together our data draw a complex picture of Leishmania genomic adaptation in the field and in culture, which is driven by a combination of intrinsic genetic factors that generate strain-specific phenotypic variations, which are under environmental selection and allow for fitness gain.IMPORTANCE Protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania cause severe human and veterinary diseases worldwide, termed leishmaniases. A hallmark of Leishmania biology is its capacity to adapt to a variety of unpredictable fluctuations inside its human host, notably pharmacological interventions, thus, causing drug resistance. Here we investigated mechanisms of environmental adaptation using a comparative genomics approach by sequencing 10 new clinical isolates of the L. donovani, L. major, and L. tropica complexes that were sampled across eight distinct geographical regions. Our data provide new evidence that parasites adapt to environmental change in the field and in culture through a combination of chromosome and gene amplification that likely causes phenotypic variation and drives parasite fitness gains in response to environmental constraints. This novel form of gene expression regulation through genomic change compensates for the absence of classical transcriptional control in these early-branching eukaryotes and opens new venues for biomarker discovery

Desenvolvimento e aplicação de marcadores moleculares para estudos taxonômicos, genéticos e epidemiológicos em Leishmania (Viannia)

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-05T18:41:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) mariana_boite_ioc_dout_2014.pdf: 6966313 bytes, checksum: b0fff886f9cae412d6b89bbb9cedb343 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-11-18Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrasilAs leishmanioses englobam um largo espectro de doenças causadas pelo parasita do gênero Leishmania. É notável o número de espécies descritas, e, apesar de tratar-se de um gênero com alta variabilidade genética, a validade de algumas dessas espécies vêm sendo questionada. A associação entre Leishmania spp. e as diferentes formas clínicas sugere a participação do parasita na manifestação e no prognóstico da doença. Métodos moleculares estão sendo cada vez mais empregados para diagnóstico, estudos taxonômicos, filogenéticos e epidemiológicos envolvendo este parasita. Os métodos utilizados são, entretanto, diversos, comprometendo a reunião de dados e a comparação inter-laboratorial. Sendo assim, o desenvolvimento de um marcador único e robusto, que permita a troca de informações, enriquecerá o conhecimento sobre a diversidade fenotípica e molecular das leishmânias, atendendo tanto a demanda por uma revisão taxonômica do gênero, como para a elaboração de um sistema integrado de identificação e tipagem deste organismo, ponto essencial em estudos epidemiológicos. O principal objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver marcadores multilocus para Leishmania (Viannia) e avaliar sua aplicabilidade em estudos epidemiológicos Os objetivos específicos incluíram: i) o desenvolvimento de um painel multi locus sequence analisys (MLSA) para cepas de Leishmania (Viannia) que circulam no Brasil que permita, concomitantemente, a identificação de isolados e a realização de estudos filogenéticos; ii) o estudo da estrutura da população de cepas de Leishmania (Viannia) quanto à clonalidade e ocorrência de eventos de recombinação pela determinação de perfis de microssatélites; iii) avaliação da aplicabilidade do painel MLSA como ferramenta epidemiológica para as leishmanioses; iv) a descrição de eventos moleculares em leishmânia que podem interferir nos resultados obtidos a partir de marcadores moleculares empregados. Após construção do painel MLSA e determinação de perfis de microssatélites (MLMT) foi possível comparar os dois marcadores. Os resultados a partir de MLMT definiram duas populações principais, uma com cepas de L. (V.) guyanensis da região Amazônia e outra apresentando as cepas de L. (V.) braziliensis, oriundas da costa Atlântica brasileira. Um terceiro grupo, muito heterogêneo, pôde ser definido com cepas de L. (V.) braziliensis da região norte e com as cepas das espécies L. (V.) shawi, L. (V.) naiffi, e L. (V.) lainsoni. Sinais de recombinação foram detectados no grupo formado por cepas identificadas como L. (V.) guyanensis e também naquele composto por cepas de L. (V.) braziliensis da região costeira. A recombinação pode ser uma das justificativas tanto para a grande diversidade encontrada como para a ausência de estruturação clara da população. O MLSA separou as espécies de acordo com a classificação prévia, exceto para L. (V.) shawi e também apontou para ocorrência de recombinação pelo padrão reticulado das redes construídas Ao aplicar o MLSA em uma situação de surto em Santa Catarina, se detectou associação entre características epidemiológicas dos pacientes e os grupos MLSA, com separação de casos importados e autóctones, sinalizando para o potencial como marcador epidemiológico. A partir dos dados MLSA também foi possível realizar um estudo sobre a ocorrência de variação intra-cepa detectada em sequências de DNA de isolados clonados de Leishmania. Foi possível concluir que o painel MLSA construído e validado apresenta-se como boa alternativa para tipagem, estudos taxonômicos e epidemiológicos em L. (Viannia). Como tal pode representar tanto um substituto molecular para o multilocus enzyme electroforesis (MLEE), método-ouro para tipagem de Leishmania, quanto um marcador padrão a ser utilizado em revisão taxonômica do gênero. Mesmo com o advento do sequenciamento completo de genomas, a contribuição do MLSA ainda é relevante, e este se apresenta como potencial marcador epidemiológico, apesar da inclusão de novos genes ser necessária. O estudo com MLMT evidenciou que o mesmo é ferramenta de escolha para estudos de genética de populações em L. (Viannia), mas não para identificação e avaliação taxonômica do subgênero. Demonstrou-se ainda que a plasticidade genômica das leishmânias gera diversidade em tipos de sequencia de DNA e, portanto deve ser sempre considerada em estudos baseados em marcadores molecularesLeishmaniasis represent a broad spectrum of diseases caused by parasite of the genus Leishmania . The number of species described is remarkably high and the status of some has been questioned, although there is indeed a notable genetic variability within this genus. The associati on of Leishmania spp. and the different clinical forms suggests the involvement of the parasite in the prognosis and clinical outcome of the disease. Molecular methods have been often applied for diagnosis, studies of taxonomy, phylogeny and epidemiology. However, the approaches used are distinct, hampering comparisons between laboratories and data assembly. The development of a standard marker which allows exchange of information would contribute to the knowledge over the phenotypic and molecular diversity of Leishmania . It would also enable a taxonomic review as well as the establishment of a standardized and integrated typing system - essential in epidemiological studies. The main objective of this study was to develop multi locus markers for Leishmania ( Viannia ) and to evaluate its applicability in epidemiological studies. The specific objectives were: i) to develop a multi locus sequence analyses (MLSA) panel with Leishmania ( Viannia ) strains from Brazil that allows the species identification and phylogenetic inferences to be performed; ii) to execute a population structure study through microsatellites profiles (MLMT); iii) to evaluate the MLSA panel as an epidemiological tool; iv) t o describe molecular events that may interfere in the results obtained by the molecular markers employed. After MLSA and MLMT, the results could be compared. MLMT defined two main populations, one comprising L. ( V. ) guyanensis and other L. ( V. ) braziliensi s strains from the Atlantic coast; recombination signs were detected for both. A third group, quite heterogeneous, included L. ( V. ) braziliensis strains from northern Brazil and the other species L. ( V .) shawi, L. ( V. ) naiffi, and L. ( V. ) lainson . Recombin ation may justify all the diversity observed and the lack of clear structuration. MLSA was able to differentiate species in agreement with previous classification, except for L. ( V. ) shawi . The reticulate pattern in the networks also pointed to recombinati on occurrence. After applying MLSA over strains isolated from an outbreak in Santa Catarina state, association between MLSA groups and epidemiological characteristics from the patients was detected, in a way that autochthonous and imported cases could be d ifferentiated. MLSA data also allowed the description of intra - strain variation among DNA sequences from cloned Leishmania cultures. The results lead to the following conclusions: the MLSA panel developed and validated represents a good option for typing, taxonomy and epidemiology studies for L . ( Viannia ). It can be chosen as the molecular substitute for multilocus enzyme electroforesis (MLEE), the gold standard for Leishmania typing, and as the standard marker for a taxonomic review as well. Even consideri ng the whole genome sequence approach, the contribution of MLSA is considered relevant, although more loci should be included. MLMT was revealed as the best approach for population genetics in L . ( Viannia ), but not for taxonomic inferences for this subgenu s. It was also demonstrated that genomic plasticity in Leishmania raises intra - strain DNA sequence diversity, and therefore this aspect should be addressed in studies based on molecular marker

Occurrence of multiple genotype infection caused by Leishmania infantum in naturally infected dogs.

Genetic polymorphisms in natural Leishmania populations have been reported in endemic areas. Microsatellite typing is a useful tool to elucidate the genetic variability of parasite strains, due to its capability for high-resolution mapping of genomic targets. The present study employed multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT) to explore the genotypic composition of Leishmania infantum in naturally infected dogs by genotyping parasites infecting different tissues with or without in vitro expansion. Eighty-six samples were collected from 46 animals in an endemic region of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). MLMT was performed for 38 spleen samples and 48 L. infantum cultures isolated from different tissues. Of the 86 samples, 23 were effectively genotyped by MLMT, identifying nine multilocus genotypes (MLG; referred to as MLG A-I). MLGs A, B and C were detected in more than one type of tissue and in more than one sample. Conversely, MLG D-I were uniquely detected in one sample each. The results showed that multiple genotype infections occur within a single host and tissue. Paired sample analysis revealed the presence of different MLMT alleles in 14 dogs, while the same MLG allele was present in 15 animals. STRUCTURE analysis demonstrated the presence of two populations; 13 samples displayed a similar admixture of both ancestral populations, and these were not assigned to any population. Only samples for which Q ≥ 0.70 after CLUMPP alignment were considered to be part of Population 1 (POP1) or Population 2 (POP2). POP2 comprised the majority of samples (n = 54) compared to POP1 (n = 19). This study presents evidence of multiple genotype infections (caused by L. infantum) in dogs in an area with high VL transmission. Further investigations must be undertaken to determine the effects of multiple infection on the host immune response and disease dynamics and treatment

Comparative analyses of classical phenotypic method and ribosomal RNA gene sequencing for identification of medically relevant Candida species

Made available in DSpace on 2015-09-21T17:25:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license.txt: 1914 bytes, checksum: 7d48279ffeed55da8dfe2f8e81f3b81f (MD5) mariana_boité_etal_IOC_2013.pdf: 754087 bytes, checksum: d93393de1339222992ebb04d972b71f6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas Dr Carlos G Malbrán. Departamento Micología. Buenos Aires, Argentina.Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas Dr Carlos G Malbrán. Departamento Micología. Buenos Aires, Argentina.Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas Dr Carlos G Malbrán. Departamento Micología. Buenos Aires, Argentina.Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas Dr Carlos G Malbrán. Departamento Micología. Buenos Aires, Argentina.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmaniose. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmaniose. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas Dr Carlos G Malbrán. Departamento Micología. Buenos Aires, Argentina.As the distribution of Candida species and their susceptibility to antifungal agents have changed, a new means of accurately and rapidly identifying these species is necessary for the successful early resolution of infection and the subsequent reduction of morbidity and mortality. The current work aimed to evaluate ribosomal RNA gene sequencing for the identification of medically relevant Candida species in comparison with a standard phenotypic method. Eighteen reference strains (RSs), 69 phenotypically identified isolates and 20 inconclusively identified isolates were examined. Internal transcribed spaces (ITSs) and D1/D2 of the 26S ribosomal RNA gene regions were used as targets for sequencing. Additionally, the sequences of the ITS regions were used to establish evolutionary relationships. The sequencing of the ITS regions was successful for 88% (94/107) of the RS and isolates, whereas 100% of the remaining 12% (13/107) of the samples were successfully analysed by sequencing the D1/D2 region. Similarly, genotypic analysis identified all of the RS and isolates, including the 20 isolates that were not phenotypically identified. Phenotypic analysis, however, misidentified 10% (7/69) of the isolates. Phylogenetic analysis allowed the confirmation of the relationships between evolutionarily close species. Currently, the use of genotypic methods is necessary for the correct identification of Candida species