Multifarious characterization of leishmania tropica from a Judean desert focus, exposing intraspecific diversity and incriminating phlebotomus sergenti as its vector.
The predominant sand fly species collected inside houses in Kfar Adumim, an Israeli village in the Judean Desert that is a focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis, was Phlebotomus papatasi, which was also caught attempting to bite humans. Phlebotomus sergenti, which is rarely seen inside houses, constituted the predominant sand fly species in caves near the village. Leishmania isolates from Ph. sergenti and humans typed as Leishmania tropica. Sand fly and human isolates produced similar small nodular cutaneous lesions in hamsters. Isolates produced excreted factor (EF) of subserotypes A(9) or A(9)B(2), characteristic of L. tropica and reacted with L. tropica-specific monoclonal antibodies. Isoenzyme analysis consigned the strains to the L. tropica zymodemes MON-137 and MON-275. Molecular genetic analyses confirmed the strains were L. tropica and intraspecific microheterogeneity was observed. Genomic fingerprinting using a mini-satellite probe separated the L. tropica strains into two clusters that were not entirely congruent with geographic distribution. These results support the heterogeneous nature of L. tropica and incriminate Ph. sergenti as its vector in this Judean Desert focus.
Schnur
Lionel F
LF
Department of Parasitology, The Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel. schnurl@cc.huji.ac.il
Nasereddin
Abdelmageed
A
Eisenberger
Carol L
CL
Jaffe
Charles L
CL
El Fari
Mustafa
M
Azmi
Kifaya
K
Anders
Gerlind
G
Killick-Kendrick
Mireille
M
Killick-Kendrick
Robert
R
Dedet
Jean-Pierre
JP
Pratlong
Francine
F
Kanaan
Moien
M
Grossman
Tamar
T
Jacobson
Raymond L
RL
Schonian
Gabrielle
G
Warburg
Alon
A
D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D006224:Cricetinae; D018105:DNA, Kinetoplast / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003889:Desert Climate; D004592:Electrophoresis, Starch Gel; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology*; D007527:Isoenzymes; D007557:Israel; D007895:Leishmania tropica / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000635:transmission; D008647:Mesocricetus; D010691:Phlebotomus / Q000469:parasitology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012424:Rural Population; D012703:Serotyping
D018105:DNA, Kinetoplast; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D007527:Isoenzymes