Abstract
The endemic strain of Leishmania donovani in Sri Lanka causes cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) rather than more common visceral form. We have visualized biofilms and profiled the microbiome of lesions and unaffected skin in thirty-nine CL patients. Twenty-four lesions (61.5%) were biofilm-positive according to fluorescence in situ hybridization. Biopsies of biofilm-positive lesions were dominated by Pseudomonas, class Bacilli and Enterobacteriaceae and distinguished by significantly lower community evenness. Higher relative abundance of a class Bacilli OTU was detected in wound swabs versus contralateral skin. Wound swabs and biopsies had significantly distinct microbiome profiles and lower diversity compared to unaffected skin. Greater abundances of potentially pathogenic organisms were observed in wet ulcers, lesions with high parasite loads and large wounds. In summary, more than half of L. donovani associated CL wounds harboured biofilms and the wounds exhibited a distinct, less diverse, microbiome than unaffected skin.
Highlights
The endemic strain of Leishmania donovani in Sri Lanka causes cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) rather than more common visceral form
We hypothesized that cutaneous leishmaniasis wounds caused by L. donovani would be associated with distinct microbiome profiles compared to unaffected skin, and that microbial biofilms would form in a proportion of cutaneous leishmaniasis wounds with possible etiological implications
The microbiome of cutaneous leishmaniasis wounds caused by Leishmania donovani
Summary
The endemic strain of Leishmania donovani in Sri Lanka causes cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) rather than more common visceral form. We characterized the microbiome of cutaneous leishmaniasis wounds caused by L. donovani comparing it with adjacent and contralateral skin.
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