title: Easy identification of leishmania species by mass spectrometry.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cutaneous leishmaniasis is caused by several Leishmania species that are associated with variable outcomes before and after therapy. Optimal treatment decision is based on an accurate identification of the infecting species but current methods to type Leishmania isolates are relatively complex and/or slow. Therefore, the initial treatment decision is generally presumptive, the infecting species being suspected on epidemiological and clinical grounds. A simple method to type cultured isolates would facilitate disease management.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed MALDI-TOF spectra of promastigote pellets from 46 strains cultured in monophasic medium, including 20 short-term cultured isolates from French travelers (19 with CL, 1 with VL). As per routine procedure, clinical isolates were analyzed in parallel with Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) at the National Reference Center for Leishmania.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Automatic dendrogram analysis generated a classification of isolates consistent with reference determination of species based on MLST or hsp70 sequencing. A minute analysis of spectra based on a very simple, database-independent analysis of spectra based on the algorithm showed that the mutually exclusive presence of two pairs of peaks discriminated isolates considered by reference methods to belong either to the Viannia or Leishmania subgenus, and that within each subgenus presence or absence of a few peaks allowed discrimination to species complexes level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Analysis of cultured Leishmania isolates using mass spectrometry allows a rapid and simple classification to the species complex level consistent with reference methods, a potentially useful method to guide treatment decision in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis.
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service Parasitologie-Mycologie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Oussama
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mouri
authors.affiliation: Unité d'Immunologie Moléculaire des Parasites, Institut Pasteur de Paris, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Gloriat
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Morizot
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Van der Auwera
authors.affiliation: Centre National de Référence des Leishmanioses, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ravel
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service Parasitologie-Mycologie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Passet
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service Parasitologie-Mycologie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chartrel
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service Parasitologie-Mycologie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Joly
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service Parasitologie-Mycologie, Paris, France; Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris6, UMR S945 Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U945, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thellier
authors.affiliation: Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris6, UMR S945 Paris, France; AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service de Maladie Infectieuse, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jauréguiberry
authors.affiliation: Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris6, UMR S945 Paris, France; AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service de Maladie Infectieuse, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Caumes
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service Parasitologie-Mycologie, Paris, France; Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris6, UMR S945 Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U945, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mazier
authors.affiliation: Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris6, UMR S945 Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U945, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Carine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marinach-Patrice
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service Parasitologie-Mycologie, Paris, France; Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris6, UMR S945 Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U945, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Buffet
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D007891:Leishmania / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010274:Parasitology / Q000379:methods*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D014195:Travel; D055815:Young Adult