Leishmania infantum Genetic Diversity and Lutzomyia longipalpis Mitochondrial Haplotypes in Brazil.

Paulo Eduardo Martins Ribolla,Mirella Ferreira Da Cunha Santos,Diego Peres Alonso,Dorcas Lamounier Costa,Carlos Henrique Nery Costa,Alessandra Gutierrez De Oliveira,Vera Lúcia Fonseca Camargo-Neves,Letícia Tsieme Gushi,Carlos Magno Castello Branco Fortaleza,Maria Do Socorro Pires E Cruz,Maria Elizabeth Moraes Cavalheiros Dorval,Manoel Sebastião Da Costa Lima Júnior

doi:10.1155/2016/9249217

Abstract

Leishmania infantum is the etiological agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Americas with domestic dogs being its major reservoir hosts. The main VL vector is the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis, while other Lutzomyia species may play a role in disease transmission. Although the genetic structure of L. infantum populations has been widely evaluated, only a few studies have addressed this subject coupled to the genetic structure of the respective sandfly vectors. In this study, we analyzed the population structure of L. infantum in three major VL endemic areas in Brazil and associated it with Lutzomyia longipalpis geographic structure.

Highlights

Leishmaniases are parasitic diseases caused by protozoans from the genus Leishmania, which are transmitted by the bite of female sandflies from the family Psychodidae
The epidemiology of leishmaniasis is highly complex: there are 20 known species of Leishmania pathogenic to humans and at least 30 species of sandflies vectors. This disease can be designated as a zoonosis, which involves animals as the reservoir hosts or BioMed Research International as an anthroponosis, when humans are the only source of parasites for sandflies
Visceral leishmaniasis can be either an anthroponosis or a zoonosis, and it is characterized by chronic evolution and systemic involvement, which if untreated may result in death

Summary

Introduction

Leishmaniases are parasitic diseases caused by protozoans from the genus Leishmania, which are transmitted by the bite of female sandflies from the family Psychodidae. When we look at sandfly genetic variability, there is compelling evidence that the Lutzomyia population structure in Brazil is complex, with different genotypes identified depending on the geographic region assessed and the species involved in parasite transmission [12,13,14]. Based on these studies, it is logical to hypothesize that the interactions of L. infantum genotypic variants with different hosts and vector populations may influence the transmission dynamics and severity of eventual outbreaks.

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusions