| Summary: | A relevant aspect in the epidemiology of Tegumentary Leishmaniasis (TL) are the <i>Leishmania</i> parasites carrying a viral endosymbiont, <i>Leishmania RNA Virus</i> 1 (LRV1), a dsRNA virus. <i>Leishmania</i> parasites carrying LRV1 are prone to causing more severe TL symptoms, increasing the likelihood of unfavorable clinical outcomes. LRV1 has been observed in the cultured strains of five <i>L.</i> (<i>Viannia</i>) species, and host specificity was suggested when studying the LRV1 from <i>L. braziliensis</i> and <i>L. guyanensis</i> strains. The coevolution hypothesis of LRV1 and <i>Leishmania</i> was based on phylogenetic analyses, implying an association between LRV1 genotypes, <i>Leishmania</i> species, and their geographic origins. This study aimed to investigate LRV1 specificity relative to <i>Leishmania</i> (<i>Viannia</i>) species hosts by analyzing LRV1 from <i>L.</i> (<i>Viannia</i>) species. To this end, LRV1 was screened in <i>L.</i> (<i>Viannia</i>) species other than <i>L. braziliensis</i> or <i>L. guyanensis</i>, and it was detected in 11 out of 15 <i>L. naiffi</i> and two out of four <i>L. shawi</i>. Phylogenetic analyses based on partial LRV1 genomic sequencing supported the hypothesis of host specificity, as LRV1 clustered according to their respective <i>Leishmania</i> species’ hosts. These findings underscore the importance of investigating <i>Leishmania</i> and LRV1 coevolution and its impact on <i>Leishmania</i> (<i>Viannia</i>) species dispersion and pathogenesis in the American Continent.
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