Colonization and genetic diversification processes of Leishmania infantum in the Americas.

ABSTRACT: Leishmania infantum causes visceral leishmaniasis, a deadly vector-borne disease introduced to the Americas during the colonial era. This non-native trypanosomatid parasite has since established widespread transmission cycles using alternative vectors, and human infection has become a significant concern to public health, especially in Brazil. A multi-kilobase deletion was recently detected in Brazilian L. infantum genomes and is suggested to reduce susceptibility to the anti-leishmanial drug miltefosine. We show that deletion-carrying strains occur in at least 15 Brazilian states and describe diversity patterns suggesting that these derive from common ancestral mutants rather than from recurrent independent mutation events. We also show that the deleted locus and associated enzymatic acti

SUBMITTER: Schwabl P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7846609 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature