Phenotypic adaptations of Leishmania donovani to recurrent miltefosine exposure and impact on sand fly infection.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Since the introduction of miltefosine (MIL) as first-line therapy in the kala-azar elimination programme in the Indian subcontinent, treatment failure rates have been increasing. Since parasite infectivity and virulence may become altered upon treatment relapse, this laboratory study assessed the phenotypic effects of repeated in vitro and in vivo MIL exposure. METHODS:Syngeneic Leishmania donovani lines either or not exposed to MIL were compared for drug susceptibility, rate of promastigote multiplication and metacyclogenesis, macrophage infectivity and behaviour in the sand fly vector, Lutzomyia longipalpis. RESULTS:Promastigotes of both in vitro and in vivo MIL-selected strains displayed a slightly reduced drug susceptibility that was associated with a reduced MIL-accumulatio

SUBMITTER: Hendrickx S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7036194 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature