Article
Infectious Diseases
Breanna M. Scorza, Kurayi G. Mahachi, Arin C. Cox, Angela J. Toepp, Adam Leal-Lima, Anurag Kumar Kushwaha, Patrick Kelly, Claudio Meneses, Geneva Wilson, Katherine N. Gibson-Corley, Lyric Bartholomay, Shaden Kamhawi, Christine A. Petersen
Summary: Vertically infected dogs are capable of transmitting parasites to sand flies, with dogs having mild to moderate clinical disease showing higher transmission rates. The skin parasite burden has a significant correlation with sand fly parasite uptake.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sneider Alexander Gutierrez Guarnizo, Elena B. Tikhonova, Andrey L. Karamyshev, Carlos E. Muskus, Zemfira N. Karamysheva
Summary: Leishmania is a unicellular protozoan with limited transcriptional control. Translational control is identified as a major mechanism of antimony drug resistance in Leishmania, leading to significant differences in mRNA translation between drug-resistant and sensitive strains.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Thais T. O. Santos, Amanda S. Machado, Fernanda F. Ramos, Joao A. Oliveira-da-Silva, Daniela P. Lage, Grasiele S. Tavares, Debora V. C. Mendonca, Mariana S. Cardoso, Williane F. Siqueira, Vivian T. Martins, Fernanda Ludolf, Thiago A. R. Reis, Livia M. Carvalho, Camila S. Freitas, Raquel S. Bandeira, Alessandra M. Silva, Jamil S. Oliveira, Ricardo L. F. Moreira, Ricardo T. Fujiwara, Bruno M. Roatt, Miguel A. Chavez-Fumagalli, Maria Humbert, Antonio L. Teixeira, Eduardo A. F. Coelho
Summary: The study demonstrates that the Leishmania eukaryotic Elongation Factor-1 beta (EF1b) protein can be a promising vaccine candidate for preventing L. infantum infection. Vaccination with EF1b induces specific Th1-type immune response, reduces parasite load, and provides stronger protection against infection.
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Susanne U. Franssen, Mandy J. Sanders, Matt Berriman, Christine A. Petersen, James A. Cotton
Summary: This study presents genomic data from Leishmania-infected dogs in the United States, demonstrating vertical transmission of the parasites without vector transmission. The parasites were introduced to the US separately from the Old World and more recently than L. infantum from South America. The unusual genetics of the parasite population suggest limited or no sexual reproduction. The findings have important implications for the population genetics of Leishmania parasites and highlight the need to consider vertical transmission in addition to vector transmission when studying transmission in complex natural settings.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Daniela P. Lage, Amanda S. Machado, Danniele L. Vale, Camila S. Freitas, Fernanda F. Ramos, Fernanda Ludolf, Joao A. Oliveira-da-Silva, Raquel S. Bandeira, Alessandra M. Silva, Luciana C. Simoes, Jamil S. Oliveira, Myron Christodoulides, Miguel A. Chavez-Fumagali, Bruno M. Roatt, Vivian T. Martins, Flavia P. Linhares, Jamille M. O. Cardoso, Isabela A. G. Pereira, Grasiele S. V. Tavares, Thiago A. R. Reis, Eduardo A. F. Coelho
Summary: Leishmania virulence proteins, such as the GTP-binding protein, have potential as vaccine candidates against disease. In this study, the gene encoding GTP was cloned and the recombinant protein was evaluated as a vaccine candidate against Leishmania infantum infection. The results showed that the vaccine induced a Th1-type immune response and significantly reduced parasite load in mice.
Article
Cell Biology
Thais Lopes Valentim Di Paschoale Ostolin, Miria Rodrigues Gusmao, Fernando Augusto Siqueira Mathias, Jamille Mirelle de Oliveira Cardoso, Bruno Mendes Roatt, Rodrigo Dian de Oliveira Aguiar-Soares, Jeronimo Conceicao Ruiz, Daniela de Melo Resende, Rory Cristiane Fortes de Brito, Alexandre Barbosa Reis
Summary: This study evaluated the immunogenicity and efficacy potential of a polyepitope T-cell antigen candidate against visceral leishmaniasis in a murine model. The results showed that the vaccine increased specific T-cell proliferation and produced beneficial cytokines. Additionally, it reduced pathogen infection and parasite burden. The candidate vaccine was considered potentially valuable for visceral leishmaniasis.
CELLULAR IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Veronica Alcolea, Esther Moreno, Mikel Etxebeste-Mitxeltorena, Inigo Navarro-Blasco, Elena Gonzalez-Penas, Antonio Jimenez-Ruiz, Juan Manuel Irache, Carmen Sanmartin, Socorro Espuelas
Summary: The study found that selenium compounds have potential against visceral leishmaniasis, with compound 1 showing effective anti-parasitic effects in a murine model of the disease.
Article
Immunology
Fernanda Giesel Baldissera, Tiago Fazolo, Matheus Brasil da Silva, Paulo Cesar de Santana Filho, Vinicius Demetrio da Silva, David Max Rivillo Perez, Joice Sandra Klitzke, Eduardo Giovanni de Oliveira Soares, Luiz Carlos Rodrigues Jr, Alessandra Peres, Eliane Dallegrave, Kely Campos Navegantes-Lima, Marta Chagas Monteiro, Henri Stephan Schrekker, Pedro Roosevelt Torres Romao
Summary: This study investigated the leishmanicidal activity of 24 imidazolium salts against Leishmania parasites, and found that 8 of them showed potential as drug candidates against the parasites and infected host cells.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Felipe Gaitan-Albarracin, Monica Losada-Barragan, Nathalia Pinho, Renata Azevedo, Jonathan Duraes, Juan Sebastian Arcila-Barrera, Rodrigo C. Menezes, Fernanda N. Morgado, Vinicius de Frias Carvalho, Adriana Umana-Perez, Patricia Cuervo
Summary: Malnutrition may result in structural and immunological changes in the gut mucosae, leading to impaired immune response to Leishmania infantum infection. Pre-infection malnutrition exacerbates intestinal pathological alterations post-infection, promoting parasite proliferation in lymphoid tissues.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ilka Grewe, Thomas Theo Brehm, Benno Kreuels, Oliver M. Steinmetz, Bernhard Dumoulin, Anne Marie Asemissen, Dennis Tappe, Michael Ramharter, Stefan Schmiedel
Summary: We report a case of Leishmania infantum reactivation in an immunocompetent patient who developed visceral leishmaniasis with secondary IgA nephropathy nine years after an initial episode of mucosal leishmaniasis, which had been treated with liposomal amphotericin B.
JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Sabrina de Oliveira Emerick, Thais Vieira de Carvalho, Bianca Meirelles Miranda, Adriana Carneiro da Silva, Thais Viana Fialho Martins, Leandro Licursi de Oliveira, Eduardo de Almeida Marques-da-Silva
Summary: The study evaluated the immunization using different vaccines and adjuvants against L. chagasi infection, and found that the LPG3-SAP vaccine significantly reduced parasite load in both spleen and liver in mice, inducing Th1/Th17 response and IL-10 production.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Diego Lins Guedes, Alda Maria Justo, Walter Lins Barbosa Junior, Elis Dionisio da Silva, Samuel Ricarte de Aquino, Manoel Sebastiao da Costa Lima Junior, Ulisses Montarroyos, Gilberto Silva Nunes Bezerra, Amanda Virginia Batista Vieira, Valeria Rego Alves Pereira, Zulma Maria de Medeiros
Summary: A study conducted in a VL-endemic area in Brazil found a prevalence of 9.11% of asymptomatic HIV-Leishmania coinfection among HIV-positive patients. Factors such as race, marital status, and HIV viral load were significantly different between HIV mono-infected and HIV-Leishmania coinfected groups.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Sandra Regina Maruyama, Carlos Alessandro Fuzo, Antonio Edson R. Oliveira, Luana Aparecida Rogerio, Nayore Tamie Takamiya, Gabriela Pessenda, Enaldo Vieira de Melo, Angela Maria da Silva, Amelia Ribeiro Jesus, Vanessa Carregaro, Helder I. Nakaya, Roque Pacheco Almeida, Joao Santana da Silva
Summary: In this study, mRNA sequencing was used to analyze peripheral blood samples from patients with visceral leishmaniasis, revealing thousands of differentially expressed genes and identifying important signaling pathways and cell types involved in the immunopathological processes of the disease. Additionally, lncRNA expression analysis was performed for the first time in visceral leishmaniasis, uncovering the significant role of lncRNAs in the disease's development.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Rafaella R. Costa, Joao A. Oliveira-da-Silva, Thiago A. R. Reis, Grasiele S. V. Tavares, Debora V. C. Mendonca, Camila S. Freitas, Daniela P. Lage, Vivian T. Martins, Luciana M. R. Antinarelli, Amanda S. Machado, Raquel S. Bandeira, Fernanda Ludolf, Thais T. O. Santos, Rory C. F. Brito, Maria V. Humbert, Daniel Menezes-Souza, Mariana C. Duarte, Miguel A. Chavez-Fumagalli, Bruno M. Roatt, Elaine S. Coimbra, Eduardo A. F. Coelho
Summary: Acarbose shows specific antileishmanial activity against Leishmania infantum, with low toxicity to mammalian cells. In vivo experiments using ACA/Mic in BALB/c mice infected with L. infantum demonstrate superior therapeutic effects compared to Miltefosine or free ACA treatments.
MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Geovanna Vioti, Mariana Dantas da Silva, Fredy Galvis-Ovallos, Maria Luana Alves, Diogo Tiago da Silva, Joao Augusto Franco Leonel, Nuno Wolfgang Balbini Pereira, Julia Cristina Benassi, Julio Cesar Pereira Spada, Carla Maia, Eunice Aparecida Bianchi Galati, Wilma Aparecida Starke-Buzetti, Tricia Maria Ferreira de Sousa Oliveira
Summary: The study demonstrates that naturally infected cats are capable of transmitting L. infantum to sand flies. Through clinical evaluation and diagnosis of 240 cats, the research examined the role of cats in the transmission of visceral leishmaniasis.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2022)