Miltefosine enhances infectivity of a miltefosine-resistant Leishmania infantum strain by attenuating its innate immune recognition.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Miltefosine (MIL) is currently the only oral drug available to treat visceral leishmaniasis but its use as first-line monotherapy has been compromised by an increasing treatment failure. Despite the scarce number of resistant clinical isolates, MIL-resistance by mutations in a single aminophospholipid transporter gene can easily be selected in a laboratory environment. These mutations result in a reduced survival in the mammalian host, which can partially be restored by exposure to MIL, suggesting a kind of drug-dependency.

Methodology/principal findings

To enable a combined study of the infection dynamics and underlying immunological events for differential in vivo survival, firefly luciferase (PpyRE9) / red fluorescent protein (DsRed) double-reporter strains wer

SUBMITTER: Bulte D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8330912 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature