Molecular and serological diagnostic of Leishmania species in clinical samples of patients and dogs from the Midwest of São Paulo, Brazil, presenting visceral leishmaniasis

• Grant number: 12/20221-9
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: December 01, 2012 - May 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal researcher: Marcia Aparecida Speranca
• Grantee: Marcia Aparecida Speranca
• Home Institution: Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas (CCNH). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Leishmaniasis are zoonotic diseases caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania. In the Americas, visceral leishmaniasis (VL), the most severe form of the disease is caused by L. chagasi. According to the World Health Organization the VL is considered one of the world's seven highest-impact epidemics, affecting more than 68 countries and four continents, with a global incidence of around 500,000 new cases per year. Brazil is in the group of countries with the highest prevalence of the disease with 90% of all Latin American human cases. Human VL has been reported in 21 Brazilian States since 1934, and after 1990, its incidence in the country had a significant increase. In the State of Sao Paulo, more than 90% of the autochthonous cases are concentrated in the Midwest region. Thus, the São Paulo country cities of Marilia, Bauru and Adamantina were included in our study due to its LV high prevalence. And our project aims to develop a molecular and serological diagnostic method, sensitive and specific for detection of Leishmania species in clinical samples from humans and dogs, based on a single copy gene encoding an enzyme essential for the biological cycle of the parasite, the chitinase. In addition, it will be possible to carry out a retrospective epidemiological study of visceral leishmaniasis through the molecular characterization of both, the region V7-V8 of the SSU rDNA and the chitinase gene, through phylogenetic inferences of parasites isolated from clinical specimens collected from symptomatic domestic canines and human hosts. This study intend to provide appropriated tools to diagnose the parasites associated to visceral leishmaniasis in the Midwest region of São Paulo and also to generate data for the establishment of healthcare programs to control this disease where it is epidemic in the country. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

CABRAL, ALINE DINIZ; GARCIA, FELIPE BAENA; SUZUKI, RODRIGO BUZINARO; GOIS FILHO, TANIL LACERDA; DA COSTA, RENATA TORRES; PEREIRA VASCONCELOS, LIGIA MARINHO; SANTOS, EDMAR SILVA; SPERANCA, MARCIA APARECIDA. Dataset on recombinant expression of an ancient chitinase gene from different species of Leishmania parasites in bacteria and in Spodoptera frugiperda cells using baculovirus. DATA IN BRIEF, v. 32, OCT 2020. Web of Science Citations: 0.

CABRAL, ALINE DINIZ; GARCIA, FELIPE BAENA; DA COSTA, RENATA TORRES; PEREIRA VASCONCELOS, LIGIA MARINHO; UEHARA, MABEL; SANTOS, EDMAR SILVA; SPERANCA, MARCIA APARECIDA. A scalable suspension insect cell transfection method for production of baculoviruses with low amplification passages. METHODSX, v. 7, 2020. Web of Science Citations: 0.

MARCILI, ARLEI; SPERANCA, MARCIA AP.; DA COSTA, ANDREA P.; MADEIRA, MARIA DE F.; SOARES, HERBERT S.; SANCHES, CAMILA DE O. C. C.; ACOSTA, IGOR DA C. L.; GIROTTO, ALINE; MINERVINO, ANTONIO H. H.; HORTA, MAURICIO C.; SHAW, JEFFREY J.; GENNARI, SOLANGE M. Phylogenetic relationships of Leishmania species based on trypanosomatid barcode (SSU rDNA) and gGAPDH genes: Taxonomic revision of Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi in South America. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION, v. 25, p. 44-51, JUL 2014. Web of Science Citations: 23.