Cutaneous and visceral tropisms of Leishmania tropica/Leishmania infantum hybrids in a murine model: First report of hybrid Leishmania strains isolated in Turkey
Articles > Abstract · 2012
Authors: A. Ozbilgin, G. Culha, F. Yildiz Zeyrek, Seray TÖZ, Cumhur GÜNDÜZ, O. KURT, F. PRATLONG, Y. Ozbel
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, Journal Indexed in SCI Expanded, International, WoS, 2012, vol 16, pp e165-e165
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2012.05.702
Summary
Background: Hybrid Leishmania strains have been reported from different regions of the world. To assess the hybridization in isolates from Turkey where visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania (L.) infantum, and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by L. tropica and L. infantum have been recorded, tissue tropisms and clinical manifestations of Leishmania isolates obtained from six patients (Five CL and one VL) from endemic sites were examined in a murine model. Methods: Fifteen μl suspensions having 1 × 108 promastigotes/ml of each isolate were injected into the footpads of Balb/C mice subcutaneously (SC Group, 6 groups, 36 mice) and into other mice group intravenously (IV Group, 6 groups, 36 mice). Footpads of SC Group were checked every 15 days for amastigotes for 6 months. IV Group was sacrificed after 30 days and livers and spleens of these mice were removed immediately. All samples were stained with Giemsa and inoculated to NNN medium. Lesions with redness and swelling were observed on footpads of all mice in SC Group, including the VL isolate, after 30 days of inoculation. Microscopy and cultures were positive after 45 days. Visceral symptoms were observed in 5 of 6 mice groups in VL group. Interestingly, 4 of the 5 isolates obtained from CL patients in IV Group, exhibited signs of visceralization in mice. To identify the genotypes of the isolates, isoenzyme analyses and real-time PCR targeting the ITS-1 gene region of Leishmania sp. with both culture material and smears, were conducted followed by melting curve analyses. Results: Both isoenzyme analyses and PCR of the culture material indicated that all 6 isolates were L. tropica. However, melting curve analyses of smears obtained from the lesion aspirations of same patients showed two peaks specific to L. tropica and L. infantum, or one peak to L. infantum. Thus, five Leishmania isolates that exhibited dermo/viscerotropism in our murine model were found as hybrid Leishmania strains. Conclusion: This is probably the first report of hybrid Leishmania strains in Turkey with different clinical manifestations and tissue tropisms in a murine model. Further studies with more samples are urgently needed to clarify the prevalence of hybrid strains in Turkey.