title: In vitro infection by Leishmania infantum in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell-derived macrophages from crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous).
abstract: Wild canids are natural reservoirs of visceral leishmaniais (VL). In Brazil, only the crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) is a natural reservoir of this zoonotic disease, but there is still a lack of understanding regarding the sylvatic transmission of the Leishmania infantum infection. This is the first study on the isolation, cultivation and infection with L. infantum in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell-derived macrophages from crab-eating foxes. It is also the first to compare macrophages from crab-eating foxes to other canine macrophages under the same conditions. Blood samples collected from crab-eating foxes held at the local zoo were processed to obtain macrophages that were subsequently infected with stationary phase L. infantum promastigotes. The percentage of infected macrophages and intracellular amastigotes per 100 macrophages were similar in both fox and dog blood samples at 2h after infection. Unlike dog macrophages, in fox macrophages there was a significant reduction in the number of infected macrophages after 24 and 48 h. At 72 h after infection, the intracellular amastigotes were practically undetectable. These results indicate that crab-eating foxes have cellular mechanisms of infection control as efficient as the domestic dog. Further study is required to discern the potential epidemiologic role of crab-eating foxes in the visceral leishmaniasis transmission cycle.
authors.affiliation: Departmento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Cidade Universitaria "Jose Aloisio de Campos", Rod. Marechal Rondon sn, Jardim Rosa Elze, São Cristovao, SE 49100-000, Brazil. Electronic address: glee@ufs.br.
authors.forename: Gabriel Isaias Lee
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Tunon
authors.affiliation: Departmento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Cidade Universitaria "Jose Aloisio de Campos", Rod. Marechal Rondon sn, Jardim Rosa Elze, São Cristovao, SE 49100-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tatiana Rodrigues
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: de Moura
authors.affiliation: Departmento de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Hospital Universitario, Rua Claudio Batista n° 1, Santo Antônio, Aracaju, SE CEP 49060-100, Brazil.
authors.forename: Amelia Ribeiro
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: de Jesus
authors.affiliation: Departmento de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Hospital Universitario, Rua Claudio Batista n° 1, Santo Antônio, Aracaju, SE CEP 49060-100, Brazil.
authors.forename: Roque Pacheco
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: de Almeida
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005589:Foxes; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000502:physiology*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D008264:Macrophages / Q000469:parasitology*
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides
keywords: Epidemiology; Peripheral blood mononuclear cell-derived macrophage; Visceral leishmaniasis; Wild canids