title: Genetic homogeneity among Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum isolates from dog and human samples in Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Area (BHMA), Minas Gerais, Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Certain municipalities in the Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Area (BHMA), Minas Gerais, Brazil, have the highest human visceral leishmaniasis (VL) mortality rates in the country and also demonstrate high canine seropositivity. In Brazil, the etiologic agent of VL is Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum. The aim of this study was to evaluate the intraspecific genetic variability of parasites from humans and from dogs with different clinical forms of VL in five municipalities of BHMA using PCR-RFLP and two target genes: kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) and gp63.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 45 samples of DNA extracted from clinical samples (n = 35) or L. infantum culture (n = 10) were evaluated. These samples originated from three groups: adults (with or without Leishmania/HIV co-infection; n = 14), children (n = 18) and dogs (n = 13). The samples were amplified for the kDNA target using the MC1 and MC2 primers (447 bp), while the Sg1 and Sg2 (1330 bp) primers were used for the gp63 glycoprotein target gene.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The restriction enzyme patterns of all the samples tested were monomorphic.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings reveal a high degree of genetic homogeneity for the evaluated gene targets among L. infantum samples isolated from different hosts and representing different clinical forms of VL in the municipalities of BHMA studied.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Pesquisas Clínicas, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil. thaisalmeidamarques@yahoo.com.br.|Laboratório de Epidemiologia das Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil. thaisalmeidamarques@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Thais Almeida Marques
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Pesquisas Clínicas, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil. lig.gomes@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Luciana Inácia
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Pesquisas Clínicas, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil. edwardjo@cpqrr.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Epidemiologia das Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil. wendelcoura@gmail.com.|Pós-graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil. wendelcoura@gmail.com.|Laboratório de Pesquisas Clínicas, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil. wendelcoura@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Wendel
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Coura-Vital
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Toxoplasmose, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil. leticiaazs@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Letícia de Azevedo
authors.initials: Lde A
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Genômica e Biologia Computacional, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil. fspais@cpqrr.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Fabiano Sviatopolk-Mirsky
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Pais
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Pesquisas Clínicas, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil. hgker@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Henrique Gama
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Ker
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Pesquisas Clínicas, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil. alexreisufop@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alexandre Barbosa
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Pesquisas Clínicas, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil. ana@cpqrr.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rabello
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Epidemiologia das Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil. mcarneir@icb.ufmg.br.|Pós-graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil. mcarneir@icb.ufmg.br.
authors.forename: Mariangela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carneiro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002947:Cities / Q000453:epidemiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D018105:DNA, Kinetoplast / Q000235:genetics; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000662:veterinary; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000235:genetics; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
chemical_list: D018105:DNA, Kinetoplast; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; C055146:glycoprotein gp63, Leishmania