Identification and Biological Characterization of Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis Isolated from a Patient with Tegumentary Leishmaniasis in Goias, a Nonendemic Area for This Species in Brazil

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Pires, Alause da Silva ; Borges, Arissa Felipe ; Coelho, Adriano Cappellazzo ; Dorta, Miriam Leandro ; Lino Junior, Ruy de Souza ; de Araujo Pereira, Ledice Inacia ; Pinto, Sebastiao Alves ; Pelli de Oliveira, Milton Adriano ; de Matos, Grazzielle Guimaraes ; Abrahamsohn, Ises A. ; Uliana, Silvia Reni B. ; Collet de Araujo Lima, Gloria Maria ; Ribeiro-Dias, Fatima

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL; v. 2015, p. 11-pg., 2015-01-01.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to characterize clinical field isolates of Leishmania spp. obtained from patients with American Tegumentary Leishmaniasis (ATL) who live in Goias state, Brazil. The presumed areas of infection were in Goias, Tocantins, and Para states. Three isolates of parasites were identified as L. (Viannia) braziliensis and one as L. (V.) guyanensis. The in vitro growth profiles were found to be similar for all parasites. Nevertheless, in C57BL/6 mice, L. (V.) guyanensis infection was better controlled than L. (V.) braziliensis. Yet in C57BL/6 mice deficient in interferon gamma, L. (V.) guyanensis lesions developed faster than those caused by L. (V.) braziliensis isolates. In BALB/c mice, the development of lesions was similar for isolates from both species; however, on the 11th week of infection, amastigotes could not be observed in macrophages from L. (V.) guyanensis-infected mice. Thus, L. (V.) guyanensis can be circulating in Goias, a state where autochthonous cases of this species had not yet been reported. Considering the difficulties to differentiate L. (V.) guyanensis from L. (V.) braziliensis at the molecular, morphological, and clinical (human and murine models) levels, the presence of L. (V.) guyanensis infections is possibly underestimated in several regions of Brazil. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/14629-5 - Mechanisms of action and resistance to miltefosine in Leishmania spp.
• Grantee: Adriano Cappellazzo Coelho
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral