Comparative Genomic Analyses of New and Old World Viscerotropic Leishmanine Parasites: Further Insights into the Origins of Visceral Leishmaniasis Agents
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, is an anthropozoonotic disease affecting human populations on five continents. Aetiologic agents belong to the <i>Leishmania (L.) donovani</i> complex. Until the 1990s, three leishmanine parasites comprised this complex: <i>L. (...
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/1/25 |
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| author | Fernando Tobias Silveira Edivaldo Costa Sousa Junior Rodrigo Vellasco Duarte Silvestre Thiago Vasconcelos dos Santos Wilfredo Sosa-Ochoa Concepción Zúniga Valeriano Patrícia Karla Santos Ramos Samir Mansour Moraes Casseb Luciana Vieira do Rêgo Lima Marliane Batista Campos Vania Lucia da Matta Claudia Maria Gomes Gabriela V. Araujo Flores Carmen M. Sandoval Pacheco Carlos Eduardo Corbett Márcia Dalastra Laurenti |
| author_facet | Fernando Tobias Silveira Edivaldo Costa Sousa Junior Rodrigo Vellasco Duarte Silvestre Thiago Vasconcelos dos Santos Wilfredo Sosa-Ochoa Concepción Zúniga Valeriano Patrícia Karla Santos Ramos Samir Mansour Moraes Casseb Luciana Vieira do Rêgo Lima Marliane Batista Campos Vania Lucia da Matta Claudia Maria Gomes Gabriela V. Araujo Flores Carmen M. Sandoval Pacheco Carlos Eduardo Corbett Márcia Dalastra Laurenti |
| author_sort | Fernando Tobias Silveira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, is an anthropozoonotic disease affecting human populations on five continents. Aetiologic agents belong to the <i>Leishmania (L.) donovani</i> complex. Until the 1990s, three leishmanine parasites comprised this complex: <i>L. (L.) donovani</i> Laveran & Mesnil 1903, <i>L. (L.) infantum</i> Nicolle 1908, and <i>L. (L.) chagasi</i> Lainson & Shaw 1987 (=<i>L. chagasi</i> Cunha & Chagas 1937). The VL causal agent in the New World (NW) was previously identified as <i>L. (L.) chagasi</i>. After the development of molecular characterization, however, comparisons between <i>L. (L.) chagasi</i> and <i>L. (L.) infantum</i> showed high similarity, and <i>L. (L.) chagasi</i> was then regarded as synonymous with <i>L. (L.) infantum</i>. It was, therefore, suggested that <i>L. (L.) chagasi</i> was not native to the NW but had been introduced from the Old World by Iberian colonizers. However, in light of ecological evidence from the NW parasite’s enzootic cycle involving a wild phlebotomine vector (<i>Lutzomyia longipalpis</i>) and a wild mammal reservoir (the fox, <i>Cerdocyon thous</i>), we have recently analyzed by molecular clock comparisons of the DNA polymerase alpha subunit gene the whole-genome sequence of <i>L. (L.) infantum chagasi</i> of the most prevalent clinical form, atypical dermal leishmaniasis (ADL), from Honduras (Central America) with that of the same parasite from Brazil (South America), as well as those of <i>L. (L.) donovani</i> (India) and <i>L. (L.) infantum</i> (Europe), which revealed that the Honduran parasite is older ancestry (382,800 <i>ya</i>) than the parasite from Brazil (143,300 <i>ya</i>), <i>L. (L.) donovani</i> (33,776 <i>ya</i>), or <i>L. (L.) infantum</i> (13,000 <i>ya</i>). In the present work, we have now amplified the genomic comparisons among these leishmanine parasites, exploring mainly the variations in the genome for each chromosome, and the number of genomic SNPs for each chromosome. Although the results of this new analysis have confirmed a high genomic similarity (~99%) among these parasites [except <i>L. (L.) donovani</i>], the Honduran parasite revealed a single structural variation on chromosome 17, and the highest frequency of genomic SNPs (more than twice the number seen in the Brazilian one), which together to its extraordinary ancestry (382,800 <i>ya</i>) represent strong evidence that <i>L. (L.) chagasi</i>/<i>L. (L.) infantum chagasi</i> is, in fact, native to the NW, and therefore with valid taxonomic status. Furthermore, the Honduran parasite, the most ancestral viscerotropic leishmanine parasite, showed genomic and clinical taxonomic characteristics compatible with a new <i>Leishmania</i> species causing ADL in Central America. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:39:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8906e17baf6b434da8acce9c3bd75825 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:39:21Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-8906e17baf6b434da8acce9c3bd758252023-11-30T23:35:19ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072022-12-011112510.3390/microorganisms11010025Comparative Genomic Analyses of New and Old World Viscerotropic Leishmanine Parasites: Further Insights into the Origins of Visceral Leishmaniasis AgentsFernando Tobias Silveira0Edivaldo Costa Sousa Junior1Rodrigo Vellasco Duarte Silvestre2Thiago Vasconcelos dos Santos3Wilfredo Sosa-Ochoa4Concepción Zúniga Valeriano5Patrícia Karla Santos Ramos6Samir Mansour Moraes Casseb7Luciana Vieira do Rêgo Lima8Marliane Batista Campos9Vania Lucia da Matta10Claudia Maria Gomes11Gabriela V. Araujo Flores12Carmen M. Sandoval Pacheco13Carlos Eduardo Corbett14Márcia Dalastra Laurenti15Parasitology Department, Evandro Chagas Institute, Ananindeua 67030-000, Pará State, BrazilParasitology Department, Evandro Chagas Institute, Ananindeua 67030-000, Pará State, BrazilVirology Department, Evandro Chagas Institute, Ananindeua 67030-000, Pará State, BrazilParasitology Department, Evandro Chagas Institute, Ananindeua 67030-000, Pará State, BrazilMicrobiology School, National Autonomous University of Honduras, Tegucigalpa 11101, HondurasHealth Surveillance Department, School Hospital, Autonomous University of Honduras, Tegucigalpa 11101, HondurasParasitology Department, Evandro Chagas Institute, Ananindeua 67030-000, Pará State, BrazilArbovirology Department, Evandro Chagas Institute, Ananindeua 67030-000, Pará State, BrazilParasitology Department, Evandro Chagas Institute, Ananindeua 67030-000, Pará State, BrazilParasitology Department, Evandro Chagas Institute, Ananindeua 67030-000, Pará State, BrazilPathology Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LIM50), Pathology Department, Medical School, São Paulo University, São Paulo 1246-903, São Paulo State, BrazilPathology Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LIM50), Pathology Department, Medical School, São Paulo University, São Paulo 1246-903, São Paulo State, BrazilPathology Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LIM50), Pathology Department, Medical School, São Paulo University, São Paulo 1246-903, São Paulo State, BrazilPathology Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LIM50), Pathology Department, Medical School, São Paulo University, São Paulo 1246-903, São Paulo State, BrazilPathology Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LIM50), Pathology Department, Medical School, São Paulo University, São Paulo 1246-903, São Paulo State, BrazilPathology Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LIM50), Pathology Department, Medical School, São Paulo University, São Paulo 1246-903, São Paulo State, BrazilVisceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, is an anthropozoonotic disease affecting human populations on five continents. Aetiologic agents belong to the <i>Leishmania (L.) donovani</i> complex. Until the 1990s, three leishmanine parasites comprised this complex: <i>L. (L.) donovani</i> Laveran & Mesnil 1903, <i>L. (L.) infantum</i> Nicolle 1908, and <i>L. (L.) chagasi</i> Lainson & Shaw 1987 (=<i>L. chagasi</i> Cunha & Chagas 1937). The VL causal agent in the New World (NW) was previously identified as <i>L. (L.) chagasi</i>. After the development of molecular characterization, however, comparisons between <i>L. (L.) chagasi</i> and <i>L. (L.) infantum</i> showed high similarity, and <i>L. (L.) chagasi</i> was then regarded as synonymous with <i>L. (L.) infantum</i>. It was, therefore, suggested that <i>L. (L.) chagasi</i> was not native to the NW but had been introduced from the Old World by Iberian colonizers. However, in light of ecological evidence from the NW parasite’s enzootic cycle involving a wild phlebotomine vector (<i>Lutzomyia longipalpis</i>) and a wild mammal reservoir (the fox, <i>Cerdocyon thous</i>), we have recently analyzed by molecular clock comparisons of the DNA polymerase alpha subunit gene the whole-genome sequence of <i>L. (L.) infantum chagasi</i> of the most prevalent clinical form, atypical dermal leishmaniasis (ADL), from Honduras (Central America) with that of the same parasite from Brazil (South America), as well as those of <i>L. (L.) donovani</i> (India) and <i>L. (L.) infantum</i> (Europe), which revealed that the Honduran parasite is older ancestry (382,800 <i>ya</i>) than the parasite from Brazil (143,300 <i>ya</i>), <i>L. (L.) donovani</i> (33,776 <i>ya</i>), or <i>L. (L.) infantum</i> (13,000 <i>ya</i>). In the present work, we have now amplified the genomic comparisons among these leishmanine parasites, exploring mainly the variations in the genome for each chromosome, and the number of genomic SNPs for each chromosome. Although the results of this new analysis have confirmed a high genomic similarity (~99%) among these parasites [except <i>L. (L.) donovani</i>], the Honduran parasite revealed a single structural variation on chromosome 17, and the highest frequency of genomic SNPs (more than twice the number seen in the Brazilian one), which together to its extraordinary ancestry (382,800 <i>ya</i>) represent strong evidence that <i>L. (L.) chagasi</i>/<i>L. (L.) infantum chagasi</i> is, in fact, native to the NW, and therefore with valid taxonomic status. Furthermore, the Honduran parasite, the most ancestral viscerotropic leishmanine parasite, showed genomic and clinical taxonomic characteristics compatible with a new <i>Leishmania</i> species causing ADL in Central America.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/1/25New and Old Worldvisceral leishmaniasis agents<i>Leishmania (L.) donovani</i><i>Leishmania (L.) infantum</i><i>Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi</i>comparative genomic analyses |
| spellingShingle | Fernando Tobias Silveira Edivaldo Costa Sousa Junior Rodrigo Vellasco Duarte Silvestre Thiago Vasconcelos dos Santos Wilfredo Sosa-Ochoa Concepción Zúniga Valeriano Patrícia Karla Santos Ramos Samir Mansour Moraes Casseb Luciana Vieira do Rêgo Lima Marliane Batista Campos Vania Lucia da Matta Claudia Maria Gomes Gabriela V. Araujo Flores Carmen M. Sandoval Pacheco Carlos Eduardo Corbett Márcia Dalastra Laurenti Comparative Genomic Analyses of New and Old World Viscerotropic Leishmanine Parasites: Further Insights into the Origins of Visceral Leishmaniasis Agents Microorganisms New and Old World visceral leishmaniasis agents <i>Leishmania (L.) donovani</i> <i>Leishmania (L.) infantum</i> <i>Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi</i> comparative genomic analyses |
| title | Comparative Genomic Analyses of New and Old World Viscerotropic Leishmanine Parasites: Further Insights into the Origins of Visceral Leishmaniasis Agents |
| title_full | Comparative Genomic Analyses of New and Old World Viscerotropic Leishmanine Parasites: Further Insights into the Origins of Visceral Leishmaniasis Agents |
| title_fullStr | Comparative Genomic Analyses of New and Old World Viscerotropic Leishmanine Parasites: Further Insights into the Origins of Visceral Leishmaniasis Agents |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative Genomic Analyses of New and Old World Viscerotropic Leishmanine Parasites: Further Insights into the Origins of Visceral Leishmaniasis Agents |
| title_short | Comparative Genomic Analyses of New and Old World Viscerotropic Leishmanine Parasites: Further Insights into the Origins of Visceral Leishmaniasis Agents |
| title_sort | comparative genomic analyses of new and old world viscerotropic leishmanine parasites further insights into the origins of visceral leishmaniasis agents |
| topic | New and Old World visceral leishmaniasis agents <i>Leishmania (L.) donovani</i> <i>Leishmania (L.) infantum</i> <i>Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi</i> comparative genomic analyses |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/1/25 |
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