First Draft Genome of the Trypanosomatid Herpetomonas muscarum ingenoplastis through MinION Oxford Nanopore Technology and Illumina Sequencing

Here, we present first draft genome sequence of the trypanosomatid Herpetomonas muscarum ingenoplastis. This parasite was isolated repeatedly in the black blowfly, Phormia regina, and it forms a phylogenetically distinct clade in the Trypanosomatidae family

Chagas Disease Control—Many Approaches to Prospect

Chagas disease is an emerging and neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, estimated to infect 8 to 10 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization [...

RNA viruses in trypanosomatid parasites: a historical overview

<div><p>Viruses of trypanosomatids are now being extensively studied because of their diversity and the roles they play in flagellates’ biology. Among the most prominent examples are leishmaniaviruses implicated in pathogenesis of Leishmania parasites. Here, we present a historical overview of this field, starting with early reports of virus-like particles on electron microphotographs, and culminating in detailed molecular descriptions of viruses obtained using modern next generation sequencing-based techniques. Because of their diversity, different life cycle strategies and host specificity, we believe that trypanosomatids are a fertile ground for further explorations to better understand viral evolution, routes of transitions, and molecular mechanisms of adaptation to different hosts.</p></div

Antileishmanial Efficacy of the Calpain Inhibitor MDL28170 in Combination with Amphotericin B

The necessity of drug combinations to treat leishmaniasis came to the surface mainly because of the toxicity of current treatments and the emergence of resistant strains. The calpain inhibitor MDL28170 has previously shown anti-Leishmania activity, therefore its use in association with standard drugs could provide a new alternative for the treatment strategy against leishmaniasis. In this study, we analyzed the potential of the combination of MDL28170 and the antileishmanial drug amphotericin B against Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania chagasi. The compounds were tested in the combination of the &frac12; &times; IC50 value of MDL28170 plus the &frac14; &times; IC50 value of amphotericin B, which led to an increment in the anti-promastigote activity when compared to the single drug treatments. This drug association revealed several and severe morphophysiological changes on parasite cells, such as loss of plasma membrane integrity, reduced size of flagellum, and depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential besides increased reactive oxygen species production. In addition, the combination of both drugs had a deleterious effect on the Leishmania&ndash;macrophage interaction, reflecting in a significant anti-amastigote action, which achieved a reduction of 50% in the association index. These results indicate that the combination treatment proposed here may represent a new alternative for leishmaniasis chemotherapy