title: Isoenzymatic analysis of 712 strains of Leishmania infantum in the south of France and relationship of enzymatic polymorphism to clinical and epidemiological features.
abstract: In the south of France, leishmaniasis due to Leishmania infantum occurs in the following five foci of endemicity (from west to east): Pyrénées-Orientales, Cévennes, Provence, Côte d'Azur, and Corsica. Between 1981 and 2002, 712 Leishmania strains obtained from humans, dogs, cats, and sand flies were studied by isoenzyme analysis. In total, seven zymodemes were identified: MON-1, MON-11, MON-24, MON-29, MON-33, MON-34, and MON-108. The Pyrénées-Orientales focus is characterized by a predominance of human cutaneous leishmaniasis and a high enzymatic polymorphism (five zymodemes). In the other foci, where human visceral leishmaniasis is predominant, only two zymodemes are present. L. infantum MON-1 is the parasite most frequently found, in patients both with and without concomitant human immunodeficiency virus infection. MON-1 is the only zymodeme present in dogs, which act as the reservoir host in all of the foci. In Cévennes, where the complete life cycle of zymodeme MON-1 has been identified, Phlebotomus perniciosus and Phlebotomus ariasi are vectors. The enzymatic polymorphism is compared to that of neighboring countries (Spain and Italy). In Pyrénées-Orientales, small variant zymodemes with electromorphs of heterozygote-like and homozygotic patterns can be explained by different genetic hypotheses.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie and Centre National de Référence des Leishmania, CHU de Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Francine
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pratlong
authors.forename: Jean-Antoine
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rioux
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marty
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Faraut-Gambarelli
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dereure
authors.forename: Geneviève
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lanotte
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dedet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D002415:Cats; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics*; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000662:veterinary; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D015800:Protozoan Proteins