title: First insights into the genetic diversity and origin of Leishmania infantum in Mont Rolland (Thiès region, Senegal).
abstract: Visceral leishmaniasis is not endemic in West Africa. However, high seroprevalence of Leishmania infantum infection (one of the Leishmania species that cause visceral leishmaniasis) was detected in dogs and humans in the Mont Rolland community (close to Thiès, Senegal), despite the lack of reports concerning human clinical cases. Our aim was to genetically characterize this L. infantum population and identify its origin. We thus conducted seven field surveys in 25 villages of the Mont Rolland community between 2005 and 2009 and blood samples were collected from 205 dogs. Serological testing indicated that 92 dogs (44.9%) were positive for Leishmania infection. L. infantum was identified as the cause of infection. Analysis of 29 L. infantum isolates from these dogs by multilocus microsatellite typing and multilocus sequence typing indicated that this population had very limited genetic diversity, low level of heterozygosity and only seven different genotypes (79.3% of all isolates had the same genotype). Multilocus sequence typing showed that the Mont Rolland isolates clustered with strains from the Mediterranean basin and were separated from East African and Asian strains. Therefore, our data suggest a quite recent and unique introduction into Senegal of a L. infantum strain from the Mediterranean basin.
authors.affiliation: MIVEGEC (UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier), Montpellier F-34394, France. Electronic address: cecile.cassan@ird.fr.
authors.forename: Cecile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cassan
authors.affiliation: International Livestock Research Institute, P.O. Box 24384, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Michel Mainack
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Dione
authors.affiliation: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montpellier, Departement de Parasitologie-Mycologie, France.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dereure
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Parasitology Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Odonto-Stomatology, UCAD, Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: Souleymane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Diedhiou
authors.affiliation: Centre National de Référence des Leishmanioses, IRD, UMR177 IRD-CIRAD INTERTRYP, Campus International de Baillarguet, TA A-17/G, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bucheton
authors.affiliation: MIVEGEC (UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier), Montpellier F-34394, France.
authors.forename: Mallorie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hide
authors.affiliation: MIVEGEC (UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier), Montpellier F-34394, France.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kako
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Parasitology Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Odonto-Stomatology, UCAD, Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: Oumar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gaye
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Terrestrial Invertebrate Zoology, IFAN Ch, A. Diop, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: Massila
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Senghor
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Terrestrial Invertebrate Zoology, IFAN Ch, A. Diop, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: Abdoul Aziz
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Niang
authors.affiliation: MIVEGEC (UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier), Montpellier F-34394, France.
authors.forename: Anne-Laure
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Bañuls
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Parasitology Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Odonto-Stomatology, UCAD, Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: Babacar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Faye
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004285:Dogs; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000662:veterinary*; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D012675:Senegal / Q000453:epidemiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
keywords: Dog; Leishmania infantum; Microsatellites; Multilocus sequence typing; Phylogeny; Senegal