title: Leishmania chagasi/infantum: further investigations on Leishmania tropisms in atypical cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis foci in Central America.
abstract: In Central America, apparently genetically identical Leishmania chagasi/infantum parasites cause cutaneous (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL), the latter being more frequent in young children. The present study investigated if there were pathology-related differences in virulence between Honduran CL and VL strains using Mediterranean L. infantum strains as a reference. Macrophage infectivity and serum sensitivity, properties thought to be associated with virulence, were similar between CL and VL strains from both regions. Attention focused on the genome organisation of genes for two candidate virulence factors: Leishmania mitogen activated protein kinase (LMPK) and cysteine proteinase b (Cpb). Interestingly, the Mediterranean strains exhibited restriction enzyme polymorphisms associated with tropism for both LMPK and Cpb genes whereas no differences were observed for the Honduran strains. We also report relative genetic homogeneity of the Honduran strains as compared to the Mediterranean strains and discuss it in terms of the probable origin for the Central American L. chagasi/infantum.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Institute of Health Sciences, Free University of Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Campos-Ponce
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ponce
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ponce
authors.forename: R D C
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Maingon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006721:Honduras; D006801:Humans; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000469:parasitology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000469:parasitology*; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D037521:Virulence Factors; D003165:Complement System Proteins