Genomic analysis of Leishmaniinae parasites isolated from human visceral leishmaniasis.

• Grant number: 21/10358-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2021
• End date: December 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Parasitology - Protozoology of Parasites
• Principal Investigator: Sandra Regina Costa Maruyama
• Grantee: Caroline Torres
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 16/20258-0 - Visceral leishmaniasis: genomics approaches for integrated molecular analysis of host and parasite, AP.JP

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a group of zoonotic diseases caused by a large variety of protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Leishmania. It is considered a neglected disease, its transmission enabled by activity of infected female sandfly vec-tors through their bite. Leishmaniasis can be manifested in different forms with visceral leishmaniasis (VL), caused in Brazil by the L. infantum, being the most severe one and also lethal if untreated. Besides being a concern for public health in multiple regions in the world, leishmaniasis is especially important within Brazil, in which is considered en-demic for the disease. Recent studies have employed clinical isolates from patients diagnosed with VL in Sergipe and have identified parasites belonging another genus rather than Leishmania in many cases. Such parasites are closely related to Crithidia fasciculata, a monoxenous trypanosomatid which only infect insects and has no pathogenicity to humans. Given the need to investigate these clinical isolates, it is urgent that research approaches be opened up to elucidate the role of this emerging parasite in the VL landscape. One of such approaches is through Parasite Genomics. Therefore, this study aims to perform genomic analysis of Leishmania and Crithidia-like clinical isolates obtained from patients diagnosed with VL in a hospital at Sergipe, Aracaju. Whole-Genome Sequencing of these samples were per-formed in Illumina platform and will be analyzed through bioinformatic pipelines in Parasite Genomics and Compara-tive Genomics. Thus, we will contribute to the genomic characterization of these parasites, providing significant data regarding the biology of unknown trypanosomatids, such as Crithidia-like parasites, which will be important for the understanding of such infections in humans and the clinical implications to the development of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil.

Scientific publications

(The scientific publications listed on this page originate from the Web of Science or SciELO databases. Their authors have cited FAPESP grant or fellowship project numbers awarded to Principal Investigators or Fellowship Recipients, whether or not they are among the authors. This information is collected automatically and retrieved directly from those bibliometric databases.)

TAKAMIYA, NAYORE TAMIE; ROGERIO, LUANA APARECIDA; TORRES, CAROLINE; LEONEL, JOAO AUGUSTO FRANCO; VIOTI, GEOVANNA; OLIVEIRA, TRICIA MARIA FERREIRA DE SOUSA; VALERIANO, KAROLINE CAMILA; PORCINO, GABRIANE NASCIMENTO; SANTOS, ISABEL KINNEY FERREIRA DE MIRANDA; COSTA, CARLOS H. N.; et al. Parasite Detection in Visceral Leishmaniasis Samples by Dye-Based qPCR Using New Gene Targets of Leishmania infantum and Crithidia. TROPICAL MEDICINE AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE, v. 8, n. 8, p. 25-pg., 2023-08-01. (21/12464-8, 16/18527-3, 18/26799-9, 19/19789-0, 16/20258-0, 21/10358-6, 20/15771-6, 20/14011-8, 17/16328-6)

GOMES, ELLEN; ROGERIO, LUANA APARECIDA; TAKAMIYA, NAYORE TAMIE; TORRES, CAROLINE; DA SILVA, JOAO SANTANA; ALMEIDA, ROQUE PACHECO; MARUYAMA, SANDRA REGINA. Dataset of dual RNA-seq mapping in visceral leishmaniasis: Inquiry on parasite transcripts in human blood transcriptome upon Leishmania infantum infection. DATA IN BRIEF, v. 46, p. 7-pg., 2022-12-17. (16/20258-0, 17/16328-6, 21/12464-8, 22/01525-9, 20/14011-8, 13/08216-2, 21/10358-6)