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Pardinilla LM, Aljaberi S, Procter M, Hamdan L, Pasha SK, Al Aiyan A, Qablan MA. The prevalence of selected vector-borne diseases in dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) in the United Arab Emirates. Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2024; 50:101006. [PMID: 38644035 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2024.101006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) affecting dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) have considerable importance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) because of the consequences associated with production decline and economic losses. Our study aimed to determine the prevalence of selected VBDs in camels in the UAE and identify risk factors. This research is currently affected by the low number of epidemiological molecular surveys addressing this issue. Blood samples were obtained from 425 dromedary camels from different locations across the UAE. Whole genomic DNA was isolated, and PCR screening was done to detect piroplasmids (Babesia/Theileria spp.), Trypanosoma spp., and Anaplasmataceae spp. (Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Neorickettsia and Wolbachia spp.). Amplicons were sequenced, and phylogenetic trees were constructed. Trypanosoma sequences were identified as T. brucei evansi, whereas Anaplasmataceae sequences were identified as A. platys-like. All camels were negative for Babesia/Theileria spp. (0%); however, 18 camels were positive for T. b. evansi (4%) and 52 were positive for A. platys-like (12%). Mixed infection with T. b. evansi and A. platys-like was found in one camel. Statistical analyses revealed that camels with a brown coat colour were significantly more prone to acquire the A. platys-like strain compared with those having a clearer coat. A similar finding was observed when comparing urban moving camels with desert indoor and urban indoor camels. Continuous disease surveillance is required to ensure and maintain the good health status of the camels in the UAE. Nonetheless, the risk of disease outbreak remains if the misuse of drugs continues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laia-M Pardinilla
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates; ASPIRE Research Institute for Food Security in the Drylands (ARIFSID), United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Saeed Aljaberi
- Veterinary Services Section, Public Health Services Department, Dubai Municipality, P.O. Box 67, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Miranda Procter
- Biology Department, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Layaly Hamdan
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Syed Kamaal Pasha
- Emirates Camel Center, P.O. Box 7660, Umm Al Quwain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ahmad Al Aiyan
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Moneeb A Qablan
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates; ASPIRE Research Institute for Food Security in the Drylands (ARIFSID), United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
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Omondi ZN, Caner A, Arserim SK. Trypanosomes and Gut Microbiota Interactions in Triatomine bugs and Tsetse Flies: A vectorial perspective. Med Vet Entomol 2024. [PMID: 38651684 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Triatomines (kissing bugs) and tsetse flies (genus: Glossina) are natural vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma brucei, respectively. T. cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease, endemic in Latin America, while T. brucei causes African sleeping sickness disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Both triatomines and tsetse flies are host to a diverse community of gut microbiota that co-exist with the parasites in the gut. Evidence has shown that the gut microbiota of both vectors plays a key role in parasite development and transmission. However, knowledge on the mechanism involved in parasite-microbiota interaction remains limited and scanty. Here, we attempt to analyse Trypanosoma spp. and gut microbiota interactions in tsetse flies and triatomines, with a focus on understanding the possible mechanisms involved by reviewing published articles on the subject. We report that interactions between Trypanosoma spp. and gut microbiota can be both direct and indirect. In direct interactions, the gut microbiota directly affects the parasite via the formation of biofilms and the production of anti-parasitic molecules, while on the other hand, Trypanosoma spp. produces antimicrobial proteins to regulate gut microbiota of the vector. In indirect interactions, the parasite and gut bacteria affect each other through host vector-activated processes such as immunity and metabolism. Although we are beginning to understand how gut microbiota interacts with the Trypanosoma parasites, there is still a need for further studies on functional role of gut microbiota in parasite development to maximize the use of symbiotic bacteria in vector and parasite control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeph Nelson Omondi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Ayşe Caner
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
- Department of Basic Oncology, Institute of Health Sciences, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Suha Kenan Arserim
- Vocational School of Health Sciences, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey
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Vizcaíno-Castillo A, Kotila T, Kogan K, Yanase R, Como J, Antenucci L, Michelot A, Sunter JD, Lappalainen P. Leishmania profilin interacts with actin through an unusual structural mechanism to control cytoskeletal dynamics in parasites. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:105740. [PMID: 38340794 PMCID: PMC10907219 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.105740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Diseases caused by Leishmania and Trypanosoma parasites are a major health problem in tropical countries. Because of their complex life cycle involving both vertebrate and insect hosts, and >1 billion years of evolutionarily distance, the cell biology of trypanosomatid parasites exhibits pronounced differences to animal cells. For example, the actin cytoskeleton of trypanosomatids is divergent when compared with other eukaryotes. To understand how actin dynamics are regulated in trypanosomatid parasites, we focused on a central actin-binding protein profilin. Co-crystal structure of Leishmania major actin in complex with L. major profilin revealed that, although the overall folds of actin and profilin are conserved in eukaryotes, Leishmania profilin contains a unique α-helical insertion, which interacts with the target binding cleft of actin monomer. This insertion is conserved across the Trypanosomatidae family and is similar to the structure of WASP homology-2 (WH2) domain, a small actin-binding motif found in many other cytoskeletal regulators. The WH2-like motif contributes to actin monomer binding and enhances the actin nucleotide exchange activity of Leishmania profilin. Moreover, Leishmania profilin inhibited formin-catalyzed actin filament assembly in a mechanism that is dependent on the presence of the WH2-like motif. By generating profilin knockout and knockin Leishmania mexicana strains, we show that profilin is important for efficient endocytic sorting in parasites, and that the ability to bind actin monomers and proline-rich proteins, and the presence of a functional WH2-like motif, are important for the in vivo function of Leishmania profilin. Collectively, this study uncovers molecular principles by which profilin regulates actin dynamics in trypanosomatids.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tommi Kotila
- HiLIFE Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Konstantin Kogan
- HiLIFE Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ryuji Yanase
- Oxford Brookes University, Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford, UK
| | - Juna Como
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, IBDM, Turing Centre for Living Systems, Marseille, France
| | - Lina Antenucci
- HiLIFE Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Alphee Michelot
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, IBDM, Turing Centre for Living Systems, Marseille, France
| | - Jack D Sunter
- Oxford Brookes University, Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford, UK.
| | - Pekka Lappalainen
- HiLIFE Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
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Juárez-Gabriel J, Alegría-Sánchez D, Yáñez-Aguirre D, Grostieta E, Álvarez-Castillo L, Torres-Castro M, Aréchiga-Ceballos N, Moo-Llanes DA, Alves FM, Pérez-Brígido CD, Aguilar-Tipacamú G, López González CA, Becker I, Pech-Canché JM, Colunga-Salas P, Sánchez-Montes S. Unraveling the diversity of Trypanosoma species from Central Mexico: Molecular confirmation on the presence of Trypanosoma dionisii and novel Neobat linages. Acta Trop 2024; 251:107113. [PMID: 38157924 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.107113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 12/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Bats are one of the groups of mammals with the highest number of associated Trypanosoma taxa. There are 50 Trypanosoma species and genotypes infecting more than 75 species of bats across five continents. However, in Mexico, the inventory of species of the genus Trypanosoma associated with bats is limited to only two species (Trypanosoma vespertilionis and Trypanosoma cruzi) even though 140 species of bats inhabit this country. Specifically, 91 bat species have been recorded in the state of Veracruz, but records of trypanosomatids associated with this mammalian group are absent. Due to the complex Trypanosoma-bat relationship, the high diversity of bat species in Veracruz, as well as the lack of records of trypanosomatids associated with bats for this state, the aim of this work was to analyze the diversity of species of the genus Trypanosoma and their presence from a bat community in the central area of the state of Veracruz, Mexico. During the period of January to August 2022 in the Tequecholapa Environmental Management Unit where bats were collected using mist nets and blood samples were obtained from their thumbs. We extracted genetic material and amplified a fragment of 800 bp of the 18S ribosomal gene of the genus Trypanosoma by conventional PCR. The positive amplicons were sequenced, and phylogenetic reconstruction was performed to identify the parasite species. A total of 285 bats (149♀, 136♂) belonging to 13 species from 10 genera and a single family (Phyllostomidae) were collected. Twenty-three specimens from six species tested positive for the presence of Trypanosoma dionisii, Trypanosoma sp. Neobat 4, and a potential novelty species provisionally named as Trypanosoma sp. Neobat 6. The results of the present work increase the number of species of the genus Trypanosoma infecting bats in Mexico and in the Neotropical region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Juárez-Gabriel
- Maestría en Ciencias del Ambiente, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias región Tuxpan, Universidad Veracruzana, Tuxpan de Rodriguez Cano, Veracruz, México; Centro de Medicina Tropical, División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, México
| | - Daniela Alegría-Sánchez
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias región Peñuela, Universidad Veracruzana, Amatlán de los Reyes, Veracruz, México
| | - Damaris Yáñez-Aguirre
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias región Peñuela, Universidad Veracruzana, Amatlán de los Reyes, Veracruz, México
| | - Estefania Grostieta
- Centro de Medicina Tropical, División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, México
| | - Lucía Álvarez-Castillo
- Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Ciudad Universitaria 3000, C.P. 04510, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Marco Torres-Castro
- Laboratorio de Zoonosis y Otras Enfermedades Transmitidas por Vector, Centro de Investigaciones Regionales "Dr. Hideyo Noguchi", Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Mérida, Yucatán, México
| | - Nidia Aréchiga-Ceballos
- Dirección de Diagnóstico y Referencia, Instituto de Diagnóstico y Referencia Epidemiológicos Dr. Manuel Martínez Báez, Mexico City, México
| | - David A Moo-Llanes
- Grupo de Arbovirosis y Zoonosis, Centro Regional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Tapachula, Chiapas, México
| | - Fernanda Moreira Alves
- Laboratory of Trypanosomatid Biology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carlos D Pérez-Brígido
- Hospital Veterinario, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, región Tuxpan, Universidad Veracruzana, Tuxpan de Rodríguez Cano, Veracruz, México
| | - Gabriela Aguilar-Tipacamú
- CA. Ecología y Diversidad Faunística, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, México
| | - Carlos A López González
- CA. Ecología y Diversidad Faunística, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, México
| | - Ingeborg Becker
- Centro de Medicina Tropical, División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, México
| | - Juan M Pech-Canché
- Laboratorio de Vertebrados Terrestres, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias región Tuxpan, Universidad Veracruzana, Tuxpan de Rodríguez Cano, Veracruz, México.
| | - Pablo Colunga-Salas
- Centro de Medicina Tropical, División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, México; Instituto de Biotecnología y Ecología Aplicada, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa de Enríquez, Veracruz, México.
| | - Sokani Sánchez-Montes
- Centro de Medicina Tropical, División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, México; Laboratorio de Diagnóstico, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias región Tuxpan, Universidad Veracruzana, Tuxpan de Rodríguez Cano, Veracruz, México.
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Tannières M, Breugnot D, Bon MC, Grodowitz MJ. Cultivation of monoxenous trypanosomatids: A minireview. J Invertebr Pathol 2024; 203:108047. [PMID: 38142929 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2023.108047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosomatids are obligatory parasites, some of which are responsible for important human and animal diseases, but the vast majority of trypanosomatids are restricted to invertebrate hosts. Isolation and in vitro cultivation of trypanosomatids from insect hosts enable their description, characterization, and subsequently genetic and genomic studies. However, exact nutritional requirements are still unknown for most trypanosomatids and thus very few defined media are available. This mini review provides information about the role of different ingredients, recommendations and advice on essential supplements and important physicochemical parameters of culture media with the aim of facilitating first attempts to cultivate insect-infesting trypanosomatids, with a focus on monoxenous trypanosomatids.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Tannières
- USDA-ARS European Biological Control Laboratory, 810 avenue du campus Agropolis, 34980 Montferrier sur Lez, France.
| | - D Breugnot
- USDA-ARS European Biological Control Laboratory, 810 avenue du campus Agropolis, 34980 Montferrier sur Lez, France
| | - M C Bon
- USDA-ARS European Biological Control Laboratory, 810 avenue du campus Agropolis, 34980 Montferrier sur Lez, France
| | - M J Grodowitz
- USDA-ARS European Biological Control Laboratory, 810 avenue du campus Agropolis, 34980 Montferrier sur Lez, France; USDA-ARS National Biological Control Laboratory, 59 Lee Road, Stoneville, MS 38776, USA
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Nath M, Bhowmik D, Saha S, Nandi R, Kumar D. Identification of potential inhibitor against Leishmania donovani mitochondrial DNA primase through in-silico and in vitro drug repurposing approaches. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3246. [PMID: 38332162 PMCID: PMC10853515 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53316-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Leishmania donovani is the causal organism of leishmaniasis with critical health implications affecting about 12 million people around the globe. Due to less efficacy, adverse side effects, and resistance, the available therapeutic molecules fail to control leishmaniasis. The mitochondrial primase of Leishmania donovani (LdmtPRI1) is a vital cog in the DNA replication mechanism, as the enzyme initiates the replication of the mitochondrial genome of Leishmania donovani. Hence, we target this protein as a probable drug target against leishmaniasis. The de-novo approach enabled computational prediction of the three-dimensional structure of LdmtPRI1, and its active sites were identified. Ligands from commercially available drug compounds were selected and docked against LdmtPRI1. The compounds were chosen for pharmacokinetic study and molecular dynamics simulation based on their binding energies and protein interactions. The LdmtPRI1 gene was cloned, overexpressed, and purified, and a primase activity assay was performed. The selected compounds were verified experimentally by the parasite and primase inhibition assay. Capecitabine was observed to be effective against the promastigote form of Leishmania donovani, as well as inhibiting primase activity. This study's findings suggest capecitabine might be a potential anti-leishmanial drug candidate after adequate further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitul Nath
- Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, 788011, India
| | - Deep Bhowmik
- Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, 788011, India
| | - Satabdi Saha
- Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, 788011, India
| | - Rajat Nandi
- Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, 788011, India
| | - Diwakar Kumar
- Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, 788011, India.
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Henríquez AM, Tejedor-Junco MT, González-Martín M, Morales Doreste M, Martín Martel S, Paone M, Cecchi G, Corbera JA. An Atlas of Surra in Spain: A Tool to Support Epidemiological Investigations and Disease Control. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:243. [PMID: 38254411 PMCID: PMC10812746 DOI: 10.3390/ani14020243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Trypanosomosis is a global animal issue, causing significant economic losses, particularly in Africa. In Spain, only one pathogenic species, Trypanosoma evansi, has been identified so far. It was first detected in a dromedary camel in the Canary Islands in 1997. Since then, numerous cases of the disease, known as Surra, have been diagnosed, prompting various studies and efforts in control and surveillance. Given the lack of a comprehensive database that consolidates the most relevant data in this area, the development of a national atlas, with a focus on the Canary Islands, to incorporate all available information on T. evansi in Spain became a necessity. For the development of the atlas, a repository was constructed, encompassing a range of datasets and documents spanning from 1997 to 2022. Information from each source, and in particular georeferenced locations and results of blood tests on animals, were extracted and integrated into a comprehensive database. A total of 31 sources were analysed, providing a total of 99 georeferenced locations and 12,433 animal samples. Out of these samples, 601 (mostly from dromedaries) were found to be positive for T. evansi. The Card Agglutination Test for T. evansi (CATT/T. evansi), a serological test, was the most commonly used diagnostic method, and it showed a higher prevalence for all tested animal species. Positive cases were mainly concentrated in the Canary Islands, specifically in the eastern islands, with isolated cases found in the province of Alicante (Iberian Peninsula). This atlas provides an overview of the history and occurrence of Surra in Spain, and it represents a valuable tool for future control initiatives and for research. Still, the need for more studies remains, especially for further testing of potential hosts other than camelids and for the examination of their potential transmission vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrián Melián Henríquez
- Instituto Universitario de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Sanitarias (IUIBS), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), 35016 Las Palmas, Spain
| | - María Teresa Tejedor-Junco
- Instituto Universitario de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Sanitarias (IUIBS), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), 35016 Las Palmas, Spain
- Departmento de Ciencias Clínicas, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Paseo Blas Cabrera Felipe “Físico”, 17, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35016 Las Palmas, Spain
| | - Margarita González-Martín
- Instituto Universitario de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Sanitarias (IUIBS), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), 35016 Las Palmas, Spain
- Departmento de Ciencias Clínicas, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Paseo Blas Cabrera Felipe “Físico”, 17, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35016 Las Palmas, Spain
| | - Manuel Morales Doreste
- Hospital Clínico Veterinario-Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (HCV-ULPGC), Campus Universitario de Arucas, 35413 Las Palmas, Spain
| | - Sergio Martín Martel
- Instituto Universitario de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Sanitarias (IUIBS), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), 35016 Las Palmas, Spain
- Hospital Clínico Veterinario-Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (HCV-ULPGC), Campus Universitario de Arucas, 35413 Las Palmas, Spain
| | - Massimo Paone
- Animal Production and Health Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 00153 Rome, Italy
| | - Giuliano Cecchi
- Animal Production and Health Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 00153 Rome, Italy
| | - Juan Alberto Corbera
- Instituto Universitario de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Sanitarias (IUIBS), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), 35016 Las Palmas, Spain
- Hospital Clínico Veterinario-Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (HCV-ULPGC), Campus Universitario de Arucas, 35413 Las Palmas, Spain
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Babyesiza WS, Katakweba A, Fornůsková A, Ssuunaf J, Akoth S, Mpagi J, Goüy de Bellocq J, Bryja J, Votýpka J. Trypanosome diversity in small mammals in Uganda and the spread of Trypanosoma lewisi to native species. Parasitol Res 2023; 123:54. [PMID: 38102492 PMCID: PMC10724337 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-08048-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Uganda's diverse small mammalian fauna thrives due to its rich habitat diversity, which hosts a wide range of blood parasites, including trypanosomes, particularly the subgenus Herpetosoma typical for rodent hosts. We screened a total of 711 small mammals from various habitats for trypanosomes, with 253 microscopically examined blood smears and 458 tissue samples tested by nested PCR of the 18S rRNA gene. Of 51 rodent and 12 shrew species tested, microscopic screening reaches 7% overall prevalence (with four rodent species positive out of 15 and none of the shrew species out of four), while nested PCR indicated a prevalence of 13% (17 rodent and five shrew species positive out of 49 and 10, respectively). We identified 27 genotypes representing 11 trypanosome species, of which the majority (24 genotypes/9 species) belong to the Herpetosoma subgenus. Among these, we detected 15 new genotypes and two putative new species, labeled AF24 (found in Lophuromys woosnami) and AF25 (in Graphiurus murinus). Our finding of three new genotypes of the previously detected species AF01 belonging to the subgenus Ornithotrypanum in two Grammomys species and Oenomys hypoxanthus clearly indicates the consistent occurrence of this avian trypanosome in African small mammals. Additionally, in Aethomys hindei, we detected the putative new species of the subgenus Aneza. Within the T. lewisi subclade, we detected eleven genotypes, including six new; however, only the genotype AF05b from Mus and Rattus represents the invasive T. lewisi. Our study has improved our understanding of trypanosome diversity in African small mammals. The detection of T. lewisi in native small mammals expands the range of host species and highlighting the need for a broader approach to the epidemiology of T. lewisi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Waswa Sadic Babyesiza
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic.
- Africa Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development (ACE IRPM&BTD, Institute of Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania.
- Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania.
- Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Science, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
| | - Abdul Katakweba
- Africa Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development (ACE IRPM&BTD, Institute of Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
- Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Alena Fornůsková
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - James Ssuunaf
- Africa Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development (ACE IRPM&BTD, Institute of Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
- Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda
| | - Sisiria Akoth
- Africa Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development (ACE IRPM&BTD, Institute of Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
- Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
- Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Science, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Joseph Mpagi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda
| | - Joelle Goüy de Bellocq
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Josef Bryja
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Votýpka
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
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9
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Sapp SGH, Low R, Nine G, Nascimento FS, Qvarnstrom Y, Barratt JLN. Genetic characterization and description of Leishmania (Leishmania) ellisi sp. nov.: a new human-infecting species from the USA. Parasitol Res 2023; 123:52. [PMID: 38099974 PMCID: PMC10724317 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-08034-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
In a 2018 report, an unusual case of cutaneous leishmaniasis was described in a 72-year-old female patient residing in Arizona, United States of America (USA). Preliminary analysis of the 18S rDNA and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase genes supported the conclusion that the Leishmania strain (strain 218-L139) isolated from this case was a novel species, though a complete taxonomic description was not provided. Identification of Leishmania at the species level is critical for clinical management and epidemiologic investigations so it is important that novel human-infecting species are characterized taxonomically and assigned a unique scientific name compliant with the ICZN code. Therefore, we sought to provide a complete taxonomic description of Leishmania strain 218-L139. Phylogenetic analysis of several nuclear loci and partial maxicircle genome sequences supported its position within the subgenus Leishmania and further clarified the distinctness of this new species. Morphological characterization of cultured promastigotes and amastigotes from the original case material is also provided. Thus, we conclude that Leishmania (Leishmania) ellisi is a new cause of autochthonous cutaneous leishmaniasis in the USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah G H Sapp
- Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ross Low
- Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Gabriela Nine
- Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Association of Public Health Laboratories, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Fernanda S Nascimento
- Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Yvonne Qvarnstrom
- Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Joel L N Barratt
- Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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10
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Fonseca MS, Santos AJ, Mendonça MA, Rodamilans GM, Marques FS, Biondi I, Lira-da-Silva RM, Aburjaile FF, Sokolonski AR, Soares RP, Meyer R, Portela RW. Trypanosoma sp. infection in Boa constrictor snakes: morphological, hematological, clinical biochemistry, molecular, and phylogenetic characteristics. Parasitol Res 2023; 123:21. [PMID: 38072845 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-08023-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
There are few reports of Trypanosoma in snakes, as well as little information about its pathogenicity in these animals. Thus, the present study aimed to characterize Trypanosoma found in Boa constrictor snakes, to verify the influence of the parasitism on hematological and clinical biochemistry parameters, and to perform a phylogenetic study of the isolates. Blood samples from sixty-one boas were analyzed for the presence of trypanosomatids and by hematological and clinical biochemistry assays. The flagellates that were found in this analysis were used for cell culture, morphometry, and molecular analysis. Later, molecular typing phylogenetic studies were performed. Nine positive animals (14.75%) were identified by microscopy analysis. The hematological results showed that parasitized animals presented significantly lower levels of packed cell volume, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin. In the leukogram, eosinophils and heterophils counts were higher in parasitized animals. Considering the molecular analyses, the isolates presented a higher identity of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and the 18S small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene fragments with Trypanosoma serpentis. The phylogenetic tree, using the GAPDH, clustered all isolates with T. serpentis and Trypanosoma cascavelli. This is the first description of T. serpentis parasitizing boas and of the clinical changes caused by trypanosomatid infection in snakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maisa S Fonseca
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Bahia State, Salvador, 40110-100, Brazil
| | - Anderson J Santos
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Bahia State, Salvador, 40110-100, Brazil
| | - Marcos A Mendonça
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Bahia State, Salvador, 40110-100, Brazil
| | - Gustavo M Rodamilans
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Bahia State, Salvador, 40110-100, Brazil
| | - Franciane S Marques
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Bahia State, Salvador, 40110-100, Brazil
| | - Ilka Biondi
- Laboratório de Animais Peçonhentos e Herpetologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Bahia State, Feira de Santana, 44036-960, Brazil
| | - Rejane M Lira-da-Silva
- Núcleo Regional de Ofiologia e Animais Peçonhentos da Bahia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia State, 40170-290, Brazil
| | - Flavia F Aburjaile
- Laboratório de Genética Celular e Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Ana R Sokolonski
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Bahia State, Salvador, 40110-100, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo P Soares
- Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, 30190-002, Brazil
| | - Roberto Meyer
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Bahia State, Salvador, 40110-100, Brazil
| | - Ricardo W Portela
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Bahia State, Salvador, 40110-100, Brazil.
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11
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Aguado-López D, Bartolomé C, Lopes AR, Henriques D, Segura SK, Maside X, Pinto MA, Higes M, Martín-Hernández R. Frequent Parasitism of Apis mellifera by Trypanosomatids in Geographically Isolated Areas with Restricted Beekeeping Movements. Microb Ecol 2023; 86:2655-2665. [PMID: 37480517 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-023-02266-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosomatids form a group of high prevalence protozoa that parasitise honey bees, with Lotmaria passim as the predominant species worldwide. However, the knowledge about the ecology of trypanosomatids in isolated areas is limited. The Portuguese archipelagos of Madeira and Azores provide an interesting setting to investigate these parasites because of their geographic isolation, and because they harbour honey bee populations devoid of two major enemies: Varroa destructor and Nosema ceranae. Hence, a total of 661 honey bee colonies from Madeira and the Azores were analysed using different molecular techniques, through which we found a high prevalence of trypanosomatids despite the isolation of these islands. L. passim was the predominant species and, in most colonies, was the only one found, even on islands free of V. destructor and/or N. ceranae with severe restrictions on colony movements to prevent the spread of them. However, islands with V. destructor had a significantly higher prevalence of L. passim and, conversely, islands with N. ceranae did not shown any significant correlation with the trypanosomatid. Crithidia bombi was detected in Madeira and on three islands of the Azores, almost always coincident with L. passim. By contrast, Crithidia mellificae was not detected in any sample. A high-throughput sequencing analysis distinguished two main haplotypes of L. passim, which accounted for 98% of the total sequence reads. This work suggests that L. passim and C. bombi are parasites that have been associated with honey bees predating the spread of V. destructor and N. ceranae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Aguado-López
- Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, IRIAF-Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal, Centro de Investigación Apícola Y Agroambiental (CIAPA), Consejería de Agricultura de La Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Camino de San Martín S/N, 19180, Marchamalo, Spain
| | - Carolina Bartolomé
- Grupo de Medicina Xenómica, CIMUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Galicia, Spain
| | - Ana Rita Lopes
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
- Laboratório Associado Para a Sustentabilidade E Tecnologia Em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
| | - Dora Henriques
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
- Laboratório Associado Para a Sustentabilidade E Tecnologia Em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
| | - Sara Kafafi Segura
- Zoología Y Antropología Física, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28014, Madrid, Spain
| | - Xulio Maside
- Grupo de Medicina Xenómica, CIMUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Galicia, Spain
| | - M Alice Pinto
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
- Laboratório Associado Para a Sustentabilidade E Tecnologia Em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
| | - Mariano Higes
- Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, IRIAF-Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal, Centro de Investigación Apícola Y Agroambiental (CIAPA), Consejería de Agricultura de La Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Camino de San Martín S/N, 19180, Marchamalo, Spain
| | - Raquel Martín-Hernández
- Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, IRIAF-Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal, Centro de Investigación Apícola Y Agroambiental (CIAPA), Consejería de Agricultura de La Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Camino de San Martín S/N, 19180, Marchamalo, Spain.
- Instituto de Recursos Humanos Para La Ciencia Y La Tecnología (INCRECYT-FSE/EC-ESF), Fundación Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Castilla-La Mancha, 02006, Albacete, Spain.
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12
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Buendía-Abad M, Martín-Hernández R, Higes M. Trypanosomatids in honey bee colonies in Spain: A new specific qPCR method for specific quantification of Lotmaria passim, Crithidia mellificae and Crithidia bombi. J Invertebr Pathol 2023; 201:108004. [PMID: 37839582 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2023.108004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Bee trypanosomatids have not been widely studied due to the original belief that these organisms were not pathogenic to honey bees. However, trypanosomatids have been linked to increased winter mortality in honey bee colonies in recent years and it has been shown that these pathogens can shorten a honey bee worker's lifespan in laboratory conditions. These studies found that this mortality corresponded to dose-dependent infection. Although Lotmaria passim is the most prevalent species worldwide, the natural load in colonies remains poorly investigated. Here we describe a new highly specific and sensitive qPCR method that allows the differentiation and quantification of the parasitic load of each of the three most common trypanosomatid species described to date in honey bee colonies: L. passim, Crithidia mellificae, and Crithidia bombi. We have used this new method to analyze honey bee colonies in central Spain and confirm that L. passim is the most common species and the one with higher parasitic loads in the colonies, which increased over the years, being higher in spring than in autumn. Crithidia mellificae was present along the study, with the highest prevalence in autumn 2019 and lately it was only found in non-quantifiable loads. Crithidia bombi was not detected in any of the colonies analyzed.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Buendía-Abad
- Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), IRIAF - Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal, Consejería de Agricultura, Agua y Desarrollo Rural de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, 19180 Marchamalo, Spain.
| | - Raquel Martín-Hernández
- Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), IRIAF - Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal, Consejería de Agricultura, Agua y Desarrollo Rural de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, 19180 Marchamalo, Spain; Instituto de Recursos Humanos para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (Increcyt-Feder), Fundación Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Castilla-La Mancha, 02001 Albacete, Spain.
| | - Mariano Higes
- Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), IRIAF - Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal, Consejería de Agricultura, Agua y Desarrollo Rural de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, 19180 Marchamalo, Spain.
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13
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Nasim F, Qureshi IA. Aminoacyl tRNA Synthetases: Implications of Structural Biology in Drug Development against Trypanosomatid Parasites. ACS Omega 2023; 8:14884-14899. [PMID: 37151504 PMCID: PMC10157851 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c00826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The ensemble of aminoacyl tRNA synthetases is regarded as a key component of the protein translation machinery. With the progressive increase in structure-based studies on tRNA synthetase-ligand complexes, the detailed picture of these enzymes is becoming clear. Having known their critical role in deciphering the genetic code in a living system, they have always been chosen as one of the important targets for development of antimicrobial drugs. Later on, the role of aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) on the survivability of trypanosomatids has also been validated. It became evident through several gene knockout studies that targeting even one of these enzymes affected parasitic growth drastically. Such successful studies have inspired researchers to search for inhibitors that could specifically target trypanosomal aaRSs, and their never-ending efforts have provided fruitful results. Taking all such studies into consideration, these macromolecules of prime importance deserve further investigation for the development of drugs that cure spectrum of infections caused by trypanosomatids. In this review, we have compiled advancements of over a decade that have taken place in the pursuit of devising drugs by using trypanosomatid aaRSs as a major target of interest. Several of these inhibitors work on an exemplary low concentration range without posing any threat to the mammalian cells which is a very critical aspect of the drug discovery process. Advancements have been made in terms of using structural biology as an important tool to analyze the architecture of the trypanosomatids aaRSs and concoction of inhibitors with augmented specificities toward their targets. Some of the inhibitors that have been tested on other parasites successfully but their efficacy has so far not been validated against these trypanosomatids have also been appended.
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14
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Castelli G, Oliveri E, Valenza V, Giardina S, Facciponte F, La Russa F, Vitale F, Bruno F. Cultivation of Protozoa Parasites In Vitro: Growth Potential in Conventional Culture Media versus RPMI-PY Medium. Vet Sci 2023; 10:vetsci10040252. [PMID: 37104407 PMCID: PMC10143000 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci10040252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The in vitro cultivation of Leishmania and Trypanosoma parasites plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of parasitic diseases. Although Evans’s modified Tobie and Novy–MacNeal–Nicolle media, for Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi, respectively, are the two commonly used media for both isolation and maintenance of strains in vitro, their preparation is expensive and laborious and requires fresh rabbit blood from housed animals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vitro growth of both parasites with an alternative monophasic, blood-free, easy, and affordable medium called RPMI-PY, which was previously demonstrated suitable for the in vitro growth of Leishmania infantum. The potential growth of different Leishmania species and Trypanosoma cruzi was evaluated in traditional culture media versus RPMI-PY medium, and we recorded the protozoa parasites’ morphology via orange acridine–ethidium bromide staining. The results of our study show that RPMI-PY medium can be used for Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania amazonensis, Leishmania major, and Leishmania tropica species since in all the species except Leishmania braziliensis, the exponential growth of the parasite was observed, in many cases higher than conventional media. The staining confirmed not only their growth during the 72 h investigation but also the optimal morphology and viability of the protozoa in the RPMI-PY medium.
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Barratt JLN, Shen J, Houghton K, Richins T, Sapp SGH, Cama V, Arrowood MJ, Straily A, Qvarnstrom Y. Cyclospora cayetanensis comprises at least 3 species that cause human cyclosporiasis. Parasitology 2023; 150:269-85. [PMID: 36560856 DOI: 10.1017/S003118202200172X] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The apicomplexan parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis causes seasonal foodborne outbreaks of the gastrointestinal illness cyclosporiasis. Prior to the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic, annually reported cases were increasing in the USA, leading the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a genotyping tool to complement cyclosporiasis outbreak investigations. Thousands of US isolates and 1 from China (strain CHN_HEN01) were genotyped by Illumina amplicon sequencing, revealing 2 lineages (A and B). The allelic composition of isolates was examined at each locus. Two nuclear loci (CDS3 and 360i2) distinguished lineages A and B. CDS3 had 2 major alleles: 1 almost exclusive to lineage A and the other to lineage B. Six 360i2 alleles were observed – 2 exclusive to lineage A (alleles A1 and A2), 2 to lineage B (B1 and B2) and 1 (B4) was exclusive to CHN_HEN01 which shared allele B3 with lineage B. Examination of heterozygous genotypes revealed that mixtures of A- and B-type 360i2 alleles occurred rarely, suggesting a lack of gene flow between lineages. Phylogenetic analysis of loci from whole-genome shotgun sequences, mitochondrial and apicoplast genomes, revealed that CHN_HEN01 represents a distinct lineage (C). Retrospective examination of epidemiologic data revealed associations between lineage and the geographical distribution of US infections plus strong temporal associations. Given the multiple lines of evidence for speciation within human-infecting Cyclospora, we provide an updated taxonomic description of C. cayetanensis, and describe 2 novel species as aetiological agents of human cyclosporiasis: Cyclospora ashfordi sp. nov. and Cyclospora henanensis sp. nov. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae).
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16
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Wenger C, Harsman A, Niemann M, Oeljeklaus S, von Känel C, Calderaro S, Warscheid B, Schneider A. The Mba1 homologue of Trypanosoma brucei is involved in the biogenesis of oxidative phosphorylation complexes. Mol Microbiol 2023; 119:537-550. [PMID: 36829306 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023]
Abstract
Consistent with other eukaryotes, the Trypanosoma brucei mitochondrial genome encodes mainly hydrophobic core subunits of the oxidative phosphorylation system. These proteins must be co-translationally inserted into the inner mitochondrial membrane and are synthesized by the highly unique trypanosomal mitoribosomes, which have a much higher protein to RNA ratio than any other ribosome. Here, we show that the trypanosomal orthologue of the mitoribosome receptor Mba1 (TbMba1) is essential for normal growth of procyclic trypanosomes but redundant in the bloodstream form, which lacks an oxidative phosphorylation system. Proteomic analyses of TbMba1-depleted mitochondria from procyclic cells revealed reduced levels of many components of the oxidative phosphorylation system, most of which belong to the cytochrome c oxidase (Cox) complex, three subunits of which are mitochondrially encoded. However, the integrity of the mitoribosome and its interaction with the inner membrane were not affected. Pull-down experiments showed that TbMba1 forms a dynamic interaction network that includes the trypanosomal Mdm38/Letm1 orthologue and a trypanosome-specific factor that stabilizes the CoxI and CoxII mRNAs. In summary, our study suggests that the function of Mba1 in the biogenesis of membrane subunits of OXPHOS complexes is conserved among yeast, mammals and trypanosomes, which belong to two eukaryotic supergroups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Wenger
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Anke Harsman
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Moritz Niemann
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Silke Oeljeklaus
- Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Biochemistry II, Theodor Boveri-Institute, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Corinne von Känel
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Salvatore Calderaro
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Bettina Warscheid
- Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Biochemistry II, Theodor Boveri-Institute, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.,CIBSS Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - André Schneider
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Institute for Advanced Study (Wissenschaftskolleg) Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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17
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Knight CA, Harris DR, Alshammari SO, Gugssa A, Young T, Lee CM. Leishmaniasis: Recent epidemiological studies in the Middle East. Front Microbiol 2023; 13:1052478. [PMID: 36817103 PMCID: PMC9932337 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1052478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis, one of the most neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), is the third most important vector-borne disease worldwide. This disease has a global impact and severity of the infection and is greatest in the Middle East. The agent of infection is a protozoan parasite of the genus, Leishmania, and is generally transmitted by blood-sucking female sandflies. In humans, there are three clinical forms of infection: (1) cutaneous (CL), (2) mucocutaneous (ML), and (3) visceral leishmaniasis (VL). This review aims to discuss the current epidemiological status of leishmaniasis in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen with a consideration of treatment options. The elevated risk of leishmaniasis is influenced by the transmission of the disease across endemic countries into neighboring non-infected regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chinyere A. Knight
- Department of Biology, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL, United States,*Correspondence: Chinyere A. Knight,
| | - David R. Harris
- Department of Biology, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL, United States
| | | | - Ayele Gugssa
- Department of Biology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Todd Young
- Department of Biology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Clarence M. Lee
- Department of Biology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
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18
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Moh KO, Luka SA, Ndams IS, Lawal IA, Sani D, Obeta SS, Oderinde GP, Dingwoke EJ, Adamude FA, Ubhenin AE, Umar S. Molecular and phylogenetic analysis of a type K1 strain Trypanosoma evansi isolate from Nigerian cattle: An evaluation of the therapeutic effects of compounds from Brassica oleracea on the histopathology of infected wister rats. Biochem Biophys Rep 2023; 33:101424. [PMID: 36660764 PMCID: PMC9843214 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2023.101424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Understanding the pathogenesis of animal trypanosomiasis can be improved by studying the genetics of bovine trypanosomes. Pathogenic animal trypanosomes are a major impediment to livestock production, with negative economic consequences spreading beyond Sub-Saharan Africa to subtropical regions of Northern Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. An atypical K1 strain of Trypanosoma evansi (T. evansi) isolates from infected cattle in Nigeria was analyzed. The therapeutic effect of phenolic-rich compounds on the histopathology of wistar rats infected with the K1 strain was studied. Methods The K1 strain T. evansi was analyzed molecularly using PCR and sequence analysis of the Spacer-1 ribosomal RNA gene. To assess the evolutionary relationship, this was phylogenetically compared to other species studied in different parts of the world. Thirty adult male wistar rats were divided into six groups of five each. Animals in group A served as the standard control (not infected). Group B animals were infected but not treated. Group C animals were infected and given 3.5 mg/kg body weight of the standard drug diminazene aceturate. Animals in groups D, E, and F were infected and treated with phenolic-rich compounds isolated from Brassica oleracea (B. oleracea) at concentrations of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg body weight, respectively. The phytochemicals were extracted using standard analytical procedures, and GCMS analysis revealed the presence of phenolic-rich compounds. The animals were given 0.2 mg/ml trypanosome intraperitoneally, diluted with normal saline. The vital organs of the animals were harvested and histologically examined. Results The nested PCR amplification of the trypanosome's ITS-1 region revealed a DNA amplicon of 627 base pairs. The rRNA nucleotide sequence was deposited in GenBank under the accession number MN462960. Basic Local Alignment search of the obtained ITS-1 rRNA sequences revealed that the K1 strain trypanosome and other strains from different regions have an evolutionary relationship. The phenolic-rich compounds had protective effects on the organs of infected animals, resulting in a decrease in parasitemia levels. They have anti-trypanosome activities at the minimum and maximum effective doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight, respectively. Conclusions The K1 strain T. evansi was isolated from naturally infected cattle in this study. The results indicate that phenolic-rich compounds have anti trypanosoma activities capable of healing organ damage caused by trypanosomiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kingsley Onyekachi Moh
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria,Corresponding author. Department of Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
| | - Sodangi Abdulkarim Luka
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria
| | - Iliya Shehu Ndams
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria
| | - Idris Alao Lawal
- Department of Veterinary Parasitology and Entomology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria
| | - Dahiru Sani
- Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria
| | - Sylvester Sunday Obeta
- Department of Veterinary Parasitology and Entomology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Abuja, Nigeria
| | - Gbenga Peter Oderinde
- Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria
| | - Emeka John Dingwoke
- UNESCO-International Center for Biotechnology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria
| | - Fatima Amin Adamude
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Federal University Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria
| | - Abraham Ehinomhen Ubhenin
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Federal University Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria
| | - Saifullahi Umar
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Drug Development, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Kano State, Nigeria
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Alves FM, Lisboa CV, Dario MA, Novaes RLM, Tiepolo LM, Moratelli R, Jansen AM. Old Methods, New Insights: Reviewing Concepts on the Ecology of Trypanosomatids and Bodo sp. by Improving Conventional Diagnostic Tools. Pathogens 2023; 12. [PMID: 36678419 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12010071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Mixed infections by different Trypanosoma species or genotypes are a common and puzzling phenomenon. Therefore, it is critical to refine the diagnostic techniques and to understand to what extent these methods detect trypanosomes. We aimed to develop an accessible strategy to enhance the sensitivity of the hemoculture, as well as to understand the limitations of the hemoculture and the blood clot as a source of parasitic DNA. We investigated trypanosomatid infections in 472 bats by molecular characterization (18S rDNA gene) of the DNA obtained from the blood clot and, innovatively, from three hemoculture sample types: the amplified flagellates ("isolate"), the pellet of the culture harvested in its very initial growth stage ("first aliquot"), and the pellet of non-grown cultures with failure of amplification ("sediment"). We compared (a) the characterization of the flagellates obtained by first aliquots and isolates; and (b) the performance of the hemoculture and blood clot for trypanosomatid detection. We observed: (i) a putative new species of Bodo in Artibeus lituratus; (ii) the potential of Trypanosoma cruzi selection in the hemoculture; (iii) that the first aliquots and sediments overcome the selective pressure of the hemoculture; and (iv) that the blood clot technique performs better than the hemoculture. However, combining these methods enhances the detection of single and mixed infections.
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Mollineda-Diogo N, Chaviano-Montes de Oca CS, Sifontes-Rodríguez S, Espinosa-Buitrago T, Monzote-Fidalgo L, Meneses-Marcel A, Morales-Helguera A, Perez-Castillo Y, Arán-Redó V. Antileishmanial activity of 5-nitroindazole derivatives. Ther Adv Infect Dis 2023; 10:20499361231208294. [PMID: 37915499 PMCID: PMC10617274 DOI: 10.1177/20499361231208294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Currently, there is no safe and effective vaccine against leishmaniasis and existing therapies are inadequate due to high toxicity, cost and decreased efficacy caused by the emergence of resistant parasite strains. Some indazole derivatives have shown in vitro and in vivo activity against Trichomonas vaginalis and Trypanosoma cruzi. On that basis, 20 indazole derivatives were tested in vitro against Leishmania amazonensis. Objective To evaluate the in vitro activity of twenty 2-benzyl-5-nitroindazolin-3-one derivatives against L. amazonensis. Design For the selection of promising compounds, it is necessary to evaluate the indicators for in vitro activity. For this aim, a battery of studies for antileishmanial activity and cytotoxicity were implemented. These results enabled the determination of the substituents in the indazole derivatives responsible for activity and selectivity, through the analysis of the structure-activity relationship (SAR). Methods In vitro cytotoxicity against mouse peritoneal macrophages and growth inhibitory activity in promastigotes were evaluated for 20 compounds. Compounds that showed adequate selectivity were tested against intracellular amastigotes. The SAR from the results in promastigotes was represented using the SARANEA software. Results Eight compounds showed selectivity index >10% and 50% inhibitory concentration <1 µM against the promastigote stage. Against intracellular amastigotes, four were as active as Amphotericin B. The best results were obtained for 2-(benzyl-2,3-dihydro-5-nitro-3-oxoindazol-1-yl) ethyl acetate, with 50% inhibitory concentration of 0.46 ± 0.01 µM against amastigotes and a selectivity index of 875. The SAR study showed the positive effect on the selectivity of the hydrophilic fragments substituted in position 1 of 2-benzyl-5- nitroindazolin-3-one, which played a key role in improving the selectivity profile of this series of compounds. Conclusion 2-bencyl-5-nitroindazolin-3-one derivatives showed selective and potent in vitro activity, supporting further investigations on this family of compounds as potential antileishmanial hits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niurka Mollineda-Diogo
- Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas, Centro de Bioactivos Químicos, Carretera a Camajuaní Km. 5 ½, Santa Clara, Villa Clara, Cuba
| | | | - Sergio Sifontes-Rodríguez
- Unidad de Investigación UNAM-INC, División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Teresa Espinosa-Buitrago
- Facultad de Farmacia, Departamento de Parasitología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, España
| | - Lianet Monzote-Fidalgo
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical “Pedro Kourí” (IPK), Departamento de Parasitología, La Habana, Cuba
| | - Alfredo Meneses-Marcel
- Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas, Centro de Bioactivos Químicos, Villa Clara, Cuba
| | - Aliuska Morales-Helguera
- Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas, Centro de Bioactivos Químicos, Villa Clara, Cuba
| | - Yunierkis Perez-Castillo
- Grupo de Bio-Quimioinformática and Área de Ciencias Aplicadas, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, CP 170125, Ecuador
| | - Vicente Arán-Redó
- Instituto de Química Médica del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas de España, Madrid, España
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21
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Romero AH, Aguilera E, Gotopo L, Charris J, Rodríguez N, Oviedo H, Dávila B, Cabrera G, Cerecetto H. Synthesis and Antitrypanosomal and Mechanistic Studies of a Series of 2-Arylquinazolin-4-hydrazines: A Hydrazine Moiety as a Selective, Safe, and Specific Pharmacophore to Design Antitrypanosomal Agents Targeting NO Release. ACS Omega 2022; 7:47225-47238. [PMID: 36570252 PMCID: PMC9773939 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c06455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO) represents a valuable target to design antitrypanosomal agents by its high toxicity against trypanosomatids and minimal side effects on host macrophages. The progress of NO-donors as antitrypanosomal has been restricted by the high toxicity of their agents, which usually is based on NO-heterocycles and metallic NO-complexes. Herein, we carried out the design of a new class of NO-donors based on the susceptibility of the hydrazine moiety connected to an electron-deficient ring to be reduced to the amine moiety with release of NO. Then, a series of novel 2-arylquinazolin-4-hydrazine, with the potential ability to disrupt the parasite folate metabolism, were synthesized. Their in vitro evaluation against Leishmania and Trypanosoma cruzi parasites and mechanistic aspects were investigated. The compounds displayed significant leishmanicidal activity, identifying three potential candidates, that is, 3b, 3c, and 3f, for further assays by their good antiamastigote activities against Leishmania braziliensis, low toxicity, non-mutagenicity, and good ADME profile. Against T. cruzi parasites, derivatives 3b, 3c, and 3e displayed interesting levels of activities and selectivities. Mechanistic studies revealed that the 2-arylquinazolin-4-hydrazines act as either antifolate or NO-donor agents. NMR, fluorescence, and theoretical studies supported the fact that the quinazolin-hydrazine decomposed easily in an oxidative environment via cleavage of the N-N bond to release the corresponding heterocyclic-amine and NO. Generation of NO from axenic parasites was confirmed by the Griess test. All the evidence showed the potential of hydrazine connected to the electron-deficient ring to design effective and safe NO-donors against trypanosomatids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel H. Romero
- Grupo
de Química Orgánica Medicinal, Instituto de Química
Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Iguá 4225, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
- Laboratorio
de Ingeniería Genética, Instituto de Biomedicina, Facultad
de Medicina, Universidad Central de Venezuela, San Luis, Caracas 1073, Venezuela
| | - Elena Aguilera
- Grupo
de Química Orgánica Medicinal, Instituto de Química
Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Iguá 4225, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
| | - Lourdes Gotopo
- Laboratorio
de Síntesis de Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Los Chaguaramos, Caracas 1041-A, Venezuela
| | - Jaime Charris
- Laboratorio
de Síntesis de Medicamentos, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Los Chaguaramos, Caracas 1041-A, Venezuela
| | - Noris Rodríguez
- Laboratorio
de Ingeniería Genética, Instituto de Biomedicina, Facultad
de Medicina, Universidad Central de Venezuela, San Luis, Caracas 1073, Venezuela
| | - Henry Oviedo
- Laboratorio
de Ingeniería Genética, Instituto de Biomedicina, Facultad
de Medicina, Universidad Central de Venezuela, San Luis, Caracas 1073, Venezuela
| | - Belén Dávila
- Grupo
de Química Orgánica Medicinal, Instituto de Química
Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Iguá 4225, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
| | - Gustavo Cabrera
- Laboratorio
de Síntesis de Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Los Chaguaramos, Caracas 1041-A, Venezuela
| | - Hugo Cerecetto
- Grupo
de Química Orgánica Medicinal, Instituto de Química
Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Iguá 4225, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
- Área
de Radiofarmacia, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de
Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Mataojo 2055, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
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22
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Conde L, Maciel G, de Assis GM, Freire-de-Lima L, Nico D, Vale A, Freire-de-Lima CG, Morrot A. Humoral response in Leishmaniasis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1063291. [PMID: 36579347 PMCID: PMC9791258 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1063291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis presents different types of clinical manifestations that can be divided into cutaneous leishmaniasis and visceral leishmaniasis. The host's immune system, associated with genetic and nutritional factors, is strongly involved in the evolution of the disease or parasite escape. Humoral immunity is characterized by the production of antibodies capable of promoting neutralization, opsonization, and activation of the complement system. In this scenario, B lymphocytes produce antibodies that play an important role in Leishmania infection although neglected for a long time. Thus, relevant aspects in the establishment of Leishmania infection will be addressed, highlighting the importance of humoral immunity during the entire process of Leishmania infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana Conde
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Maciel
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Meira de Assis
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Freire-de-Lima
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Dirlei Nico
- Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - André Vale
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Alexandre Morrot
- Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,*Correspondence: Alexandre Morrot,
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Hoyos J, Rosales-Chilama M, León C, González C, Gómez MA. Sequencing of hsp70 for discernment of species from the Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis complex from endemic areas in Colombia. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:406. [PMID: 36329517 PMCID: PMC9635106 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05438-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Colombia is ranked very high among countries with the highest numbers of endemic Leishmania species (n = 9) causing human disease. Although much effort has been devoted to generating simple and specific tools for Leishmania species identification, challenges remain in the discrimination of species belonging to the Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis complex: L. (V.) guyanensis and L. (V.) panamensis. METHODS A set of seven reference strains of species belonging to the L. (Leishmania) and L. (Viannia) subgenera, clinical strains from human cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL; n = 26) and samples collected from sylvatic mammals and sand flies (n = 7) from endemic areas in Colombia were analyzed in this study. The heat-shock protein 70 gene (hsp70) was amplified by PCR from DNA extracted from logarithmic-phase promastigotes or tissue samples, and the PCR products were sequenced. Sequence alignment was performed against a set of previously published and curated sequences, and phylogenetic analysis based on the maximum-likelihood and Bayesian inference approaches was conducted. Haplotype diversity among strains and species of the L. (V.) guyanensis complex was explored using a median-joining network. RESULTS Sequencing of the hsp70 gene for L. (Viannia) spp. typing was comparable to species identification using isoenzyme electrophoresis or monoclonal antibodies. Complete species matching was found, except for one sylvatic sample with an identity yet unsolved. Among the L. (V.) panamensis clinical strains, two distinctive phylogenetic clusters were found to correlate with two different zymodemes: L. (V.) panamensis Z2.2 and Z2.3. Analysis of samples from sylvatic environments identified novel records of naturally infected wild mammal and sand fly species. CONCLUSIONS Our results support the adequacy of hsp70 gene sequencing as a single-locus approach for discrimination of L. (Viannia) spp., as well as for exploring the genetic diversity within the L. (V.) guyanensis complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Hoyos
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología Y Parasitología Tropical (CIMPAT), Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, D.C Colombia
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento E Investigaciones Médicas (CIDEIM), Campus de la Universidad Icesi (Edificio O), Cali, Colombia
- Present Address: Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 USA
| | - Mariana Rosales-Chilama
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento E Investigaciones Médicas (CIDEIM), Campus de la Universidad Icesi (Edificio O), Cali, Colombia
- Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia
| | - Cielo León
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología Y Parasitología Tropical (CIMPAT), Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, D.C Colombia
| | - Camila González
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología Y Parasitología Tropical (CIMPAT), Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, D.C Colombia
| | - María Adelaida Gómez
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento E Investigaciones Médicas (CIDEIM), Campus de la Universidad Icesi (Edificio O), Cali, Colombia
- Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia
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Cerone M, Roberts M, Smith TK. The lipidome of Crithidia fasiculataand its plasticity. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:945750. [DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.945750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Crithidia fasiculata belongs to the trypanosomatidae order of protozoan parasites, bearing close relation to other kinetoplastid parasites such as Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania spp. As an early diverging lineage of eukaryotes, the study of kinetoplastid parasites has provided unique insights into alternative mechanisms to traditional eukaryotic metabolic pathways. Crithidia are a monogenetic parasite for mosquito species and have two distinct lifecycle stages both taking place in the mosquito gut. These consist of a motile choanomastigote form and an immotile amastigote form morphologically similar to amastigotes in Leishmania. Owing to their close relation to Leishmania, Crithidia are a growing research tool, with continuing interest in its use as a model organism for kinetoplastid research with the added benefit that they are non-pathogenic to humans and can be grown with no special equipment or requirements for biological containment. Although comparatively little research has taken place on Crithidia, similarities to other kinetoplast species has been shown in terms of energy metabolism and genetics. Crithidia also show similarities to kinetoplastids in their production of the monosaccharide D-arabinopyranose similar to Leishmania, which is incorporated into a lipoarabinogalactan a major cell surface GPI-anchored molecule. Additionally, Crithidia have been used as a eukaryotic expression system to express proteins from other kinetoplastids and potentially other eukaryotes including human proteins allowing various co- and post-translational protein modifications to the recombinant proteins. Despite the obvious usefulness and potential of this organism very little is known about its lipid metabolism. Here we describe a detailed lipidomic analyses and demonstrate the possible placidity of Crithidia’s lipid metabolis. This could have important implications for biotechnology approaches and how other kinetoplastids interact with, and scavenge nutrients from their hosts.
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25
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Santos FM, Sano NY, Liberal SC, Dario MA, Nantes WAG, Alves FM, da Silva AR, De Oliveira CE, Roque ALR, Herrera HM, Jansen AM. Kinetoplastid Species Maintained by a Small Mammal Community in the Pantanal Biome. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11101205. [PMID: 36297262 PMCID: PMC9612235 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11101205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Kinetoplastids include species economically important in agriculture, livestock, and human health. We evaluated the richness of kinetoplastids that infect small mammals in patches of unflooded forests in the Pantanal biome, an area where we hypothesize that its diversity is higher than currently recognized. Hemocultures (HC) and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) targeting the 18S rDNA gene were employed for the detection of kinetoplastids. We grouped the positive samples into pools for each small mammal species (Monodelphis domestica, Thylamys macrurus, Oecomys mamorae, Thrichomys fosteri, Clyomys laticeps, and Holochilus chacarius). Eight parasite species were identified: Leishmania amazonensis, L. infantum; Trypanosoma cascavelli (HC + NGS), T. cruzi, T. lainsoni, T. rangeli (HC + NGS), Trypanosoma sp. DID, and Neobodo sp. The use of a tool as sensitive as NGS has increased our awareness of the diversity of kinetoplastids, as well as their host range, with emphasis on the species O. mamorae (seven kinetoplastid species, excepting T. cascavelli in a pool of nine individuals) and T. macrurus (four kinetoplastid species in a single individual). Furthermore, L. infantum and L. amazonensis infections were described in small mammals from this region for the first time. These findings make it mandatory to revisit the kinetoplastids/host associations proposed so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipe Martins Santos
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais e Sustentabilidade Agropecuária, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco (UCDB), Campo Grande 79117-010, Brazil
- Correspondence:
| | - Nayara Yoshie Sano
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Campo Grande 79070-900, Brazil
| | - Sany Caroline Liberal
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais e Sustentabilidade Agropecuária, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco (UCDB), Campo Grande 79117-010, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco (UCDB), Campo Grande 79117-010, Brazil
| | - Maria Augusta Dario
- Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanossomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brazil
| | - Wesley Arruda Gimenes Nantes
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais e Sustentabilidade Agropecuária, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco (UCDB), Campo Grande 79117-010, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Moreira Alves
- Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanossomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Parasitária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brazil
| | | | - Carina Elisei De Oliveira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais e Sustentabilidade Agropecuária, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco (UCDB), Campo Grande 79117-010, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco (UCDB), Campo Grande 79117-010, Brazil
| | - André Luiz Rodrigues Roque
- Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanossomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brazil
| | - Heitor Miraglia Herrera
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais e Sustentabilidade Agropecuária, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco (UCDB), Campo Grande 79117-010, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Campo Grande 79070-900, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco (UCDB), Campo Grande 79117-010, Brazil
| | - Ana Maria Jansen
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais e Sustentabilidade Agropecuária, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco (UCDB), Campo Grande 79117-010, Brazil
- Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanossomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brazil
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Sunantaraporn S, Hortiwakul T, Kraivichian K, Siriyasatien P, Brownell N. Molecular Identification of Host Blood Meals and Detection of Blood Parasites in Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) Collected from Phatthalung Province, Southern Thailand. Insects 2022; 13:insects13100912. [PMID: 36292860 PMCID: PMC9604321 DOI: 10.3390/insects13100912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Five hundred and fifty-nine female biting midges were collected, and seventeen species in six subgenera (Avaritia, Haemophoructus, Hoffmania, Meijerehelea, Remmia, and Trithecoides) and two groups (Clavipalpis and Shortti) were identified. The dominant Culicoides species was C. peregrinus (30.94%), followed by C. subgenus Trithecoides. From blood meal analysis of engorged biting midges, they were found to feed on cows, dogs, pigs, and avians. The majority of blood preferences of biting midges (68%; 49/72) displayed a mixed pattern of host blood DNA (cow and avian). The overall non-engorged biting midge field infectivity rate was 1.44 % (7/487). We detected Leucocytozoon sp. in three Culicoides specimens, one from each species: C. fulvus, C. oxystoma, and C. subgenus Trithecoides. Crithidia sp. was found in two C. peregrinus specimens, and Trypanosoma sp. and P. juxtanucleare were separately found in two C. guttifer. More consideration should be paid to the capacity of biting midges to transmit pathogens such as avian haemosporidian and trypanosomatid parasites. To demonstrate that these biting midges are natural vectors of trypanosomatid parasites, additional research must be conducted with a greater number of biting midges in other endemic regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sakone Sunantaraporn
- Medical Science Program, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Vector Biology and Vector Borne Diseases, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Thanaporn Hortiwakul
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110, Thailand
| | - Kanyarat Kraivichian
- Center of Excellence in Vector Biology and Vector Borne Diseases, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Padet Siriyasatien
- Center of Excellence in Vector Biology and Vector Borne Diseases, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Narisa Brownell
- Center of Excellence in Vector Biology and Vector Borne Diseases, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Correspondence:
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Obado SO, Rout MP, Field MC. Sending the message: specialized RNA export mechanisms in trypanosomes. Trends Parasitol 2022; 38:854-67. [PMID: 36028415 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2022.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Export of RNA from the nucleus is essential for all eukaryotic cells and has emerged as a major step in the control of gene expression. mRNA molecules are required to complete a complex series of processing events and pass a quality control system to protect the cytoplasm from the translation of aberrant proteins. Many of these events are highly conserved across eukaryotes, reflecting their ancient origin, but significant deviation from a canonical pathway as described from animals and fungi has emerged in the trypanosomatids. With significant implications for the mechanisms that control gene expression and hence differentiation, responses to altered environments and fitness as a parasite, these deviations may also reveal additional, previously unsuspected, mRNA export pathways.
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Bartolomé C, Buendía-Abad M, Ornosa C, De la Rúa P, Martín-Hernández R, Higes M, Maside X. Bee Trypanosomatids: First Steps in the Analysis of the Genetic Variation and Population Structure of Lotmaria passim, Crithidia bombi and Crithidia mellificae. Microb Ecol 2022; 84:856-867. [PMID: 34609533 PMCID: PMC9622509 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01882-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosomatids are among the most prevalent parasites in bees but, despite the fact that their impact on the colonies can be quite important and that their infectivity may potentially depend on their genotypes, little is known about the population diversity of these pathogens. Here we cloned and sequenced three non-repetitive single copy loci (DNA topoisomerase II, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and RNA polymerase II large subunit, RPB1) to produce new genetic data from Crithidia bombi, C. mellificae and Lotmaria passim isolated from honeybees and bumblebees. These were analysed by applying population genetic tools in order to quantify and compare their variability within and between species, and to obtain information on their demography and population structure. The general pattern for the three species was that (1) they were subject to the action of purifying selection on nonsynonymous variants, (2) the levels of within species diversity were similar irrespective of the host, (3) there was evidence of recombination among haplotypes and (4) they showed no haplotype structuring according to the host. C. bombi exhibited the lowest levels of synonymous variation (πS= 0.06 ± 0.04 %) - and a mutation frequency distribution compatible with a population expansion after a bottleneck - that contrasted with the extensive polymorphism displayed by C. mellificae (πS= 2.24 ± 1.00 %), which likely has a more ancient origin. L. passim showed intermediate values (πS= 0.40 ± 0.28 %) and an excess of variants a low frequencies probably linked to the spread of this species to new geographical areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Bartolomé
- Grupo de Medicina Xenómica, CIMUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain.
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago (IDIS), 15706, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain.
| | - María Buendía-Abad
- Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal (IRIAF), Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, 19180, Marchamalo, Spain
| | - Concepción Ornosa
- Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar De la Rúa
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain
| | - Raquel Martín-Hernández
- Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal (IRIAF), Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, 19180, Marchamalo, Spain
- Instituto de Recursos Humanos para la Ciencia y la Tecnología, Fundación Parque Científico Tecnológico de Albacete, 02006, Albacete, Spain
| | - Mariano Higes
- Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal (IRIAF), Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, 19180, Marchamalo, Spain
| | - Xulio Maside
- Grupo de Medicina Xenómica, CIMUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago (IDIS), 15706, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
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Jacobson D, Zheng Y, Plucinski MM, Qvarnstrom Y, Barratt JLN. Evaluation of various distance computation methods for construction of haplotype-based phylogenies from large MLST dataset. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2022; 177:107608. [PMID: 35963590 PMCID: PMC10127246 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) is widely used to investigate genetic relationships among eukaryotic taxa, including parasitic pathogens. MLST analysis workflows typically involve construction of alignment-based phylogenetic trees - i.e., where tree structures are computed from nucleotide differences observed in a multiple sequence alignment (MSA). Notably, alignment-based phylogenetic methods require that all isolates/taxa are represented by a single sequence. When multiple loci are sequenced these sequences may be concatenated to produce one tree that includes information from all loci. Alignment-based phylogenetic techniques are robust and widely used yet possess some shortcomings, including how heterozygous sites are handled, intolerance for missing data (i.e., partial genotypes), and differences in the way insertions-deletions (indels) are scored/treated during tree construction. In certain contexts, 'haplotype-based' methods may represent a viable alternative to alignment-based techniques, as they do not possess the aforementioned limitations. This is namely because haplotype-based methods assess genetic similarity based on numbers of shared (i.e., intersecting) haplotypes as opposed to similarities in nucleotide composition observed in an MSA. For haplotype-based comparisons, choosing an appropriate distance statistic is fundamental, and several statistics are available to choose from. However, a comprehensive assessment of various available statistics for their ability to produce a robust haplotype-based phylogenetic reconstruction has not yet been performed. We evaluated seven distance statistics by applying them to extant MLST datasets from the gastrointestinal parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis and two species of pathogenic nematode of the genus Strongyloides. We compare the genetic relationships identified using each statistic to epidemiologic, geographic, and host metadata. We show that Barratt's heuristic definition of genetic distance was the most robust among the statistics evaluated. Consequently, it is proposed that Barratt's heuristic represents a useful approach for use in the context of challenging MLST datasets possessing features (i.e., high heterozygosity, partial genotypes, and indel or repeat-based polymorphisms) that confound or preclude the use of alignment-based methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Jacobson
- Parasitic Diseases Branch, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA; Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Yueli Zheng
- Parasitic Diseases Branch, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA; Eagle Global Scientific, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Mateusz M Plucinski
- Malaria Branch, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA; U.S. President's Malaria Initiative, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Yvonne Qvarnstrom
- Parasitic Diseases Branch, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Joel L N Barratt
- Parasitic Diseases Branch, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Votýpka J, Stříbrná E, Modrý D, Bryja J, Bryjová A, Lukeš J. Unexpectedly high diversity of trypanosomes in small sub-saharan mammals. Int J Parasitol 2022; 52:647-658. [PMID: 35882298 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2022.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The extremely species-rich genus Trypanosoma has recently been divided into 16 subgenera, most of which show fairly high host specificity, including the subgenus Herpetosoma parasitizing mainly rodents. Although most Herpetosoma spp. are highly host-specific, the best-known representative, Trypanosoma lewisi, has a cosmopolitan distribution and low host specificity. The present study investigates the general diversity of small mammal trypanosomes in East and Central Africa and the penetration of invasive T. lewisi into communities of native rodents. An extensive study of blood and tissue samples from Afrotropical micromammals (1,528 rodents, 135 shrews, and five sengis belonging to 37 genera and 133 species) captured in the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia revealed 187 (11.2%) trypanosome-positive individuals. The prevalence of trypanosomes in host genera ranged from 2.1% in Aethomys to 37.1% in Lemniscomys. The only previously known trypanosome detected in our dataset was T. lewisi, newly found in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania in a wide range of native rodent hosts. Besides T. lewisi, 18S rRNA sequencing revealed 48 additional unique Herpetosoma genotypes representing at least 15 putative new species, which doubles the known sequence-based diversity of this subgenus, and approaches the true species richness in the study area. The other two genotypes represent two new species belonging to the subgenera Ornithotrypanum and Squamatrypanum. The trypanosomes of white-toothed shrews (Crocidura spp.) form a new phylogroup of Herpetosoma, unrelated to flagellates previously detected in insectivores. With 13 documented species, Ethiopia was the richest region for trypanosome diversity, which corresponds to the very diverse environments and generally high biodiversity of this country. We conclude that besides T. lewisi, the subgenus Herpetosoma is highly host-specific (e.g., species parasitizing the rodent genera Acomys and Gerbilliscus). Furthermore, several newly detected trypanosome species are specific to their endemic hosts, such as brush-furred mice (Lophuromys), dormice (Graphiurus), and white-toothed shrews (Crocidura).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Votýpka
- Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic; Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Eva Stříbrná
- Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic
| | - David Modrý
- Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic; Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic; Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Josef Bryja
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Anna Bryjová
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Julius Lukeš
- Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic; Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic.
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Mitra A, Acharya K, Bhattacharya A. Evolutionary analysis of globin domains from kinetoplastids. Arch Microbiol 2022; 204:493. [PMID: 35841431 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-022-03107-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Globin (Gb) domains function in sensing gaseous ligands like oxygen and nitric oxide. In recent years, Gb domain containing heme binding adenylate cyclases (OsAC or GbAC) emerged as significant modulator of Leishmania response to hypoxia and oxidative stress. During progression of life cycle stages, kinetoplastids experience altered condition in insect vectors or other hosts. Moreover, marked diversity in life style has been accounted among kinetoplastids. Distribution and abundance of Gb-domains vary between different groups of kinetoplastids. While in bodonoids, Gbs are not combined with any other functional domains, in trypanosomatids it is either fused with adenylate cyclase (AC) or oxidoreductase (OxR) domains. In salivarian trypanosomatids and Leishmania (Viannia) subtypes, no gene product featuring Gbs can be identified. In this context, evolution of Gb-domains in kinetoplastids was explored. GbOxR derived Gbs clustered with bacterial flavohemoglobins (fHb) including one fHb from Advenella, an endosymbiont of monoxeneous trypanosomatids. Codon adaptation and other evolutionary analysis suggested that OsAC (LmjF.28.0090), the solitary Gb-domain featuring gene product in Leishmania, was acquired via possible horizontal gene transfer. Substantial functional divergence was estimated between orthologues of genes encoding GbAC or GbOxR; an observation also reflected in structural alignment and heme-binding residue predictions. Orthologue-paralogue and synteny analysis indicated genomic reduction in GbOxR and GbAC loci for dixeneous trypanosomatids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akash Mitra
- Department of Microbiology, Adamas University, Barasat-Barrackpore Rd, Kolkata, 700126, India.,Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Centre, Yenepoya Research Centre, Mangalore, 575018, India
| | - Kusumita Acharya
- Department of Microbiology, Adamas University, Barasat-Barrackpore Rd, Kolkata, 700126, India
| | - Arijit Bhattacharya
- Department of Microbiology, Adamas University, Barasat-Barrackpore Rd, Kolkata, 700126, India.
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Buendía-Abad M, García-Palencia P, de Pablos LM, Martín-Hernández R, Higes M. The Haptomonad Stage of Crithidia acanthocephali in Apis mellifera Hindgut. Vet Sci 2022; 9:vetsci9060298. [PMID: 35737350 PMCID: PMC9229786 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci9060298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Crithidia acanthocephali is a trypanosomatid species that was initially described in the digestive tract of Hemiptera. However, this parasite was recently detected in honey bee colonies in Spain, raising the question as to whether bees can act as true hosts for this species. To address this issue, worker bees were experimentally infected with choanomastigotes from the early stationary growth phase and after 12 days, their hindgut was extracted for analysis by light microscopy and TEM. Although no cellular lesions were observed in the honey bee’s tissue, trypanosomatids had differentiated and adopted a haptomonad morphology, transforming their flagella into an attachment pad. This structure allows the protozoa to remain attached to the gut walls via hemidesmosomes-such as junctions. The impact of this species on honey bee health, as well as the pathogenic mechanisms involved, remains unknown. Nevertheless, these results suggest that insect trypanosomatids may have a broader range of hosts than initially thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Buendía-Abad
- Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), IRIAF—Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal, Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, 19180 Marchamalo, Spain;
- Correspondence: (M.B.-A.); (M.H.)
| | - Pilar García-Palencia
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinaria y Cirugía Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28001 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Luis Miguel de Pablos
- Grupo de Bioquímica y Parasitología Molecular CTS-183, Departamento de Parasitología, Universidad de Granada, 18001 Granada, Spain;
| | - Raquel Martín-Hernández
- Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), IRIAF—Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal, Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, 19180 Marchamalo, Spain;
- Instituto de Recursos Humanos para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (Increcyt-Feder), Fundación Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Castilla-La Mancha, 02001 Albacete, Spain
| | - Mariano Higes
- Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), IRIAF—Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal, Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, 19180 Marchamalo, Spain;
- Correspondence: (M.B.-A.); (M.H.)
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Lima ARJ, Silva HGD, Poubel S, Rosón JN, de Lima LPO, Costa-Silva HM, Gonçalves CS, Galante PAF, Holetz F, Motta MCMM, Silber AM, Elias MC, da Cunha JPC. Open chromatin analysis in Trypanosoma cruzi life forms highlights critical differences in genomic compartments and developmental regulation at tDNA loci. Epigenetics Chromatin 2022; 15:22. [PMID: 35650626 PMCID: PMC9158160 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-022-00450-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genomic organization and gene expression regulation in trypanosomes are remarkable because protein-coding genes are organized into codirectional gene clusters with unrelated functions. Moreover, there is no dedicated promoter for each gene, resulting in polycistronic gene transcription, with posttranscriptional control playing a major role. Nonetheless, these parasites harbor epigenetic modifications at critical regulatory genome features that dynamically change among parasite stages, which are not fully understood. RESULTS Here, we investigated the impact of chromatin changes in a scenario commanded by posttranscriptional control exploring the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and its differentiation program using FAIRE-seq approach supported by transmission electron microscopy. We identified differences in T. cruzi genome compartments, putative transcriptional start regions, and virulence factors. In addition, we also detected a developmental chromatin regulation at tRNA loci (tDNA), which could be linked to the intense chromatin remodeling and/or the translation regulatory mechanism required for parasite differentiation. We further integrated the open chromatin profile with public transcriptomic and MNase-seq datasets. Strikingly, a positive correlation was observed between active chromatin and steady-state transcription levels. CONCLUSION Taken together, our results indicate that chromatin changes reflect the unusual gene expression regulation of trypanosomes and the differences among parasite developmental stages, even in the context of a lack of canonical transcriptional control of protein-coding genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Ranieri Jerônimo Lima
- grid.418514.d0000 0001 1702 8585Laboratório de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP Brazil ,grid.418514.d0000 0001 1702 8585Centro de Toxinas, Resposta Imune E Sinalização Celular (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Herbert Guimarães de
Sousa Silva
- grid.418514.d0000 0001 1702 8585Laboratório de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP Brazil ,grid.418514.d0000 0001 1702 8585Centro de Toxinas, Resposta Imune E Sinalização Celular (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil ,grid.411249.b0000 0001 0514 7202Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Imunologia E Parasitologia, São Paulo, SP Brazil
| | - Saloe Poubel
- grid.418514.d0000 0001 1702 8585Laboratório de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP Brazil ,grid.418514.d0000 0001 1702 8585Centro de Toxinas, Resposta Imune E Sinalização Celular (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Juliana Nunes Rosón
- grid.418514.d0000 0001 1702 8585Laboratório de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP Brazil ,grid.418514.d0000 0001 1702 8585Centro de Toxinas, Resposta Imune E Sinalização Celular (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil ,grid.411249.b0000 0001 0514 7202Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Imunologia E Parasitologia, São Paulo, SP Brazil
| | - Loyze Paola Oliveira de Lima
- grid.418514.d0000 0001 1702 8585Laboratório de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP Brazil ,grid.418514.d0000 0001 1702 8585Centro de Toxinas, Resposta Imune E Sinalização Celular (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Héllida Marina Costa-Silva
- grid.418514.d0000 0001 1702 8585Laboratório de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP Brazil ,grid.418514.d0000 0001 1702 8585Centro de Toxinas, Resposta Imune E Sinalização Celular (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Camila Silva Gonçalves
- grid.8536.80000 0001 2294 473XLaboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, IBCCF, CCS, UFRJ, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil ,Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural E Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil
| | - Pedro A. F. Galante
- grid.413471.40000 0000 9080 8521Centro de Oncologia Molecular, Hospital Sírio Libanês, São Paulo, SP Brazil
| | - Fabiola Holetz
- grid.418068.30000 0001 0723 0931Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fiocruz, Curitiba, PR Brazil
| | - Maria Cristina Machado M. Motta
- grid.8536.80000 0001 2294 473XLaboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, IBCCF, CCS, UFRJ, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil ,Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural E Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil
| | - Ariel M. Silber
- grid.11899.380000 0004 1937 0722Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP Brazil
| | - M. Carolina Elias
- grid.418514.d0000 0001 1702 8585Laboratório de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP Brazil ,grid.418514.d0000 0001 1702 8585Centro de Toxinas, Resposta Imune E Sinalização Celular (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Julia Pinheiro Chagas da Cunha
- Laboratório de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. .,Centro de Toxinas, Resposta Imune E Sinalização Celular (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Lannutti L, Gonzales FN, Dus Santos MJ, Florin-christensen M, Schnittger L. Molecular Detection and Differentiation of Arthropod, Fungal, Protozoan, Bacterial and Viral Pathogens of Honeybees. Vet Sci 2022; 9:221. [PMID: 35622749 PMCID: PMC9145064 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci9050221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The honeybee Apis mellifera is highly appreciated worldwide because of its products, but also as it is a pollinator of crops and wild plants. The beehive is vulnerable to infections due to arthropods, fungi, protozoa, bacteria and/or viruses that manage to by-pass the individual and social immune mechanisms of bees. Due to the close proximity of bees in the beehive and their foraging habits, infections easily spread within and between beehives. Moreover, international trade of bees has caused the global spread of infections, several of which result in significant losses for apiculture. Only in a few cases can infections be diagnosed with the naked eye, by direct observation of the pathogen in the case of some arthropods, or by pathogen-associated distinctive traits. Development of molecular methods based on the amplification and analysis of one or more genes or genomic segments has brought significant progress to the study of bee pathogens, allowing for: (i) the precise and sensitive identification of the infectious agent; (ii) the analysis of co-infections; (iii) the description of novel species; (iv) associations between geno- and pheno-types and (v) population structure studies. Sequencing of bee pathogen genomes has allowed for the identification of new molecular targets and the development of specific genotypification strategies.
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de Castro Neto AL, da Silveira JF, Mortara RA. Role of Virulence Factors of Trypanosomatids in the Insect Vector and Putative Genetic Events Involved in Surface Protein Diversity. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:807172. [PMID: 35573777 PMCID: PMC9097677 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.807172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosomatids are flagellate protozoans that can infect several invertebrate and vertebrate hosts, including insects and humans. The three most studied species are the human pathogens Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp. which are the causative agents of Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), Chagas disease and different clinical forms of leishmaniasis, respectively. These parasites possess complex dixenous life cycles, with zoonotic and anthroponotic stages, and are transmitted by hematophagous insects. To colonize this myriad of hosts, they developed mechanisms, mediated by virulence factors, to infect, propagate and survive in different environments. In insects, surface proteins play roles in parasite attachment and survival in the insect gut, whilst in the mammalian host, the parasites have a whole group of proteins and mechanisms that aid them invading the host cells and evading its immune system components. Many studies have been done on the impact of these molecules in the vertebrate host, however it is also essential to notice the importance of these virulence factors in the insect vector during the parasite life cycle. When inside the insect, the parasites, like in humans, also need to survive defense mechanisms components that can inhibit parasite colonization or survival, e.g., midgut peritrophic membrane barrier, digestive enzymes, evasion of excretion alongside the digested blood meal, anatomic structures and physiological mechanisms of the anterior gut. This protection inside the insect is often implemented by the same group of virulence factors that perform roles of immune evasion in the mammalian host with just a few exceptions, in which a specific protein is expressed specifically for the insect vector form of the parasite. This review aims to discuss the roles of the virulence molecules in the insect vectors, showing the differences and similarities of modes of action of the same group of molecules in insect and humans, exclusive insect molecules and discuss possible genetic events that may have generated this protein diversity.
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Oldrieve GR, Malacart B, López-Vidal J, Matthews KR. The genomic basis of host and vector specificity in non-pathogenic trypanosomatids. Biol Open 2022; 11:bio059237. [PMID: 35373253 PMCID: PMC9099014 DOI: 10.1242/bio.059237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma theileri, a non-pathogenic parasite of bovines, has a predicted surface protein architecture that likely aids survival in its mammalian host. Their surface proteins are encoded by genes which account for ∼10% of their genome. A non-pathogenic parasite of sheep, Trypanosoma melophagium, is transmitted by the sheep ked and is closely related to T. theileri. To explore host and vector specificity between these species, we sequenced the T. melophagium genome and transcriptome and an annotated draft genome was assembled. T. melophagium was compared to 43 kinetoplastid genomes, including T. theileri. T. melophagium and T. theileri have an AT biased genome, the greatest bias of publicly available trypanosomatids. This trend may result from selection acting to decrease the genomic nucleotide cost. The T. melophagium genome is 6.3Mb smaller than T. theileri and large families of proteins, characteristic of the predicted surface of T. theileri, were found to be absent or greatly reduced in T. melophagium. Instead, T. melophagium has modestly expanded protein families associated with the avoidance of complement-mediated lysis. We propose that the contrasting genomic features of these species is linked to their mode of transmission from their insect vector to their mammalian host. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy R. Oldrieve
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
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Kumar A, Nimsarkar P, Singh S. Probing the Interactions Responsible for the Structural Stability of Trypanothione Reductase Through Computer Simulation and Biophysical Characterization. Protein J 2022; 41:230-244. [PMID: 35364760 DOI: 10.1007/s10930-022-10052-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
With the necessity to develop antileishmanial drugs with substrate specificity, trypanothione reductase (TryR) has gained popularity in parasitology. TryR is unique to be present only in trypanosomatids and is functionally similar to glutathione in mammals. It protects against oxidative stress exerted by the host defense mechanism. The TryR enzyme is essential for the survival of Leishmania parasites in the host as it reduces trypanothione and aids in neutralizing hydrogen peroxide produced by the host macrophages during infection. Henceforth, it becomes vital to decipher their functional stability and behaviour in the presence of denaturants. Our study is focused on structural, functional and behavioural stability aspects of TryR with different concentrations of Urea, Guanidinium chloride, alcohol based compounds followed by extensive molecular dynamics simulations in a lipid bilayer system. The results obtained from the study reveal an interesting insight into the possible mechanisms of modulation of the structure, function and stability of the TryR protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anurag Kumar
- National Centre for Cell Science, NCCS Complex, Ganeshkhind, SP Pune University Campus, Pune, 411007, India
| | - Prajakta Nimsarkar
- National Centre for Cell Science, NCCS Complex, Ganeshkhind, SP Pune University Campus, Pune, 411007, India
| | - Shailza Singh
- National Centre for Cell Science, NCCS Complex, Ganeshkhind, SP Pune University Campus, Pune, 411007, India.
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Palmer-Young EC, Schwarz RS, Chen Y, Evans JD. Punch in the gut: Parasite tolerance of phytochemicals reflects host diet. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:1805-1817. [PMID: 35315572 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Gut parasites of plant-eating insects are exposed to antimicrobial phytochemicals that can reduce infection. Trypanosomatid gut parasites infect insects of diverse nutritional ecologies as well as mammals and plants, raising the question of how host diet-associated phytochemicals shape parasite evolution and host specificity. To test the hypothesis that phytochemical tolerance of trypanosomatids reflects the chemical ecology of their hosts, we compared related parasites from honey bees and mosquitoes-hosts that differ in phytochemical consumption-and contrasted our results with previous studies on phylogenetically related, human-parasitic Leishmania. We identified one bacterial and ten plant-derived substances with known antileishmanial activity that also inhibited honey bee parasites associated with colony collapse. Bee parasites exhibited greater tolerance of chrysin-a flavonoid found in nectar, pollen, and plant resin-derived propolis. In contrast, mosquito parasites were more tolerant of cinnamic acid-a product of lignin decomposition present in woody debris-rich larval habitats. Parasites from both hosts tolerated many compounds that inhibit Leishmania, hinting at possible trade-offs between phytochemical tolerance and mammalian infection. Our results implicate the phytochemistry of host diets as a potential driver of insect-trypanosomatid associations, and identify compounds that could be incorporated into colony diets or floral landscapes to ameliorate infection in bees. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ryan S Schwarz
- Department of Biology, Fort Lewis College, Durango, CO, USA
| | | | - Jay D Evans
- USDA-ARS Bee Research Lab, Beltsville, MD, USA
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Desquesnes M, Gonzatti M, Sazmand A, Thévenon S, Bossard G, Boulangé A, Gimonneau G, Truc P, Herder S, Ravel S, Sereno D, Jamonneau V, Jittapalapong S, Jacquiet P, Solano P, Berthier D. A review on the diagnosis of animal trypanosomoses. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:64. [PMID: 35183235 PMCID: PMC8858479 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05190-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
This review focuses on the most reliable and up-to-date methods for diagnosing trypanosomoses, a group of diseases of wild and domestic mammals, caused by trypanosomes, parasitic zooflagellate protozoans mainly transmitted by insects. In Africa, the Americas and Asia, these diseases, which in some cases affect humans, result in significant illness in animals and cause major economic losses in livestock. A number of pathogens are described in this review, including several Salivarian trypanosomes, such as Trypanosoma brucei sspp. (among which are the agents of sleeping sickness, the human African trypanosomiasis [HAT]), Trypanosoma congolense and Trypanosoma vivax (causing “Nagana” or animal African trypanosomosis [AAT]), Trypanosoma evansi (“Surra”) and Trypanosoma equiperdum (“Dourine”), and Trypanosoma cruzi, a Stercorarian trypanosome, etiological agent of the American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease). Diagnostic methods for detecting zoonotic trypanosomes causing Chagas disease and HAT in animals, as well as a diagnostic method for detecting animal trypanosomes in humans (the so-called “atypical human infections by animal trypanosomes” [a-HT]), including T. evansi and Trypanosoma lewisi (a rat parasite), are also reviewed. Our goal is to present an integrated view of the various diagnostic methods and techniques, including those for: (i) parasite detection; (ii) DNA detection; and (iii) antibody detection. The discussion covers various other factors that need to be considered, such as the sensitivity and specificity of the various diagnostic methods, critical cross-reactions that may be expected among Trypanosomatidae, additional complementary information, such as clinical observations and epizootiological context, scale of study and logistic and cost constraints. The suitability of examining multiple specimens and samples using several techniques is discussed, as well as risks to technicians, in the context of specific geographical regions and settings. This overview also addresses the challenge of diagnosing mixed infections with different Trypanosoma species and/or kinetoplastid parasites. Improving and strengthening procedures for diagnosing animal trypanosomoses throughout the world will result in a better control of infections and will significantly impact on “One Health,” by advancing and preserving animal, human and environmental health.
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Dario MA, Lisboa CV, Xavier SCDC, D’Andrea PS, Roque ALR, Jansen AM. Trypanosoma Species in Small Nonflying Mammals in an Area With a Single Previous Chagas Disease Case. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:812708. [PMID: 35223545 PMCID: PMC8873152 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.812708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosomatids are hemoflagellate parasites that even though they have been increasingly studied, many aspects of their biology and taxonomy remain unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the Trypanosoma sp. transmission cycle in nonflying small mammals in an area where a case of acute Chagas disease occurred in Mangaratiba municipality, Rio de Janeiro state. Three expeditions were conducted in the area: the first in 2012, soon after the human case, and two others in 2015. Sylvatic mammals were captured and submitted to blood collection for trypanosomatid parasitological and serological exams. Dogs from the surrounding areas where the sylvatic mammals were captured were also tested for T. cruzi infection. DNA samples were extracted from blood clots and positive hemocultures, submitted to polymerase chain reaction targeting SSU rDNA and gGAPDH genes, sequenced and phylogenetic analysed. Twenty-one wild mammals were captured in 2012, mainly rodents, and 17 mammals, mainly marsupials, were captured in the two expeditions conducted in 2015. Only four rodents demonstrated borderline serological T. cruzi test (IFAT), two in 2012 and two in 2015. Trypanosoma janseni was the main Trypanosoma species identified, and isolates were obtained solely from Didelphis aurita. In addition to biological differences, molecular differences are suggestive of genetic diversity in this flagellate species. Trypanosoma sp. DID was identified in blood clots from D. aurita in single and mixed infections with T. janseni. Concerning dogs, 12 presented mostly borderline serological titers for T. cruzi and no positive hemoculture. In blood clots from 11 dogs, T. cruzi DNA was detected and characterized as TcI (n = 9) or TcII (n = 2). Infections by Trypanosoma rangeli lineage E (n = 2) and, for the first time, Trypanosoma caninum, Trypanosoma dionisii, and Crithidia mellificae (n = 1 each) were also detected in dogs. We concluded that despite the low mammalian species richness and degraded environment, a high Trypanosoma species richness species was being transmitted with the predominance of T. janseni and not T. cruzi, as would be expected in a locality of an acute case of Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Augusta Dario
- Laboratory of Trypanosomatid Biology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Maria Augusta Dario,
| | - Cristiane Varella Lisboa
- Laboratory of Trypanosomatid Biology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Paulo Sérgio D’Andrea
- Laboratory of Biology and Parasitology of Wild Reservoir Mammals, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - André Luiz Rodrigues Roque
- Laboratory of Trypanosomatid Biology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana Maria Jansen
- Laboratory of Trypanosomatid Biology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Santi AMM, Murta SMF. Impact of Genetic Diversity and Genome Plasticity of Leishmania spp. in Treatment and the Search for Novel Chemotherapeutic Targets. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:826287. [PMID: 35141175 PMCID: PMC8819175 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.826287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is one of the major public health concerns in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. The absence of vaccines for human use and the lack of effective vector control programs make chemotherapy the main strategy to control all forms of the disease. However, the high toxicity of available drugs, limited choice of therapeutic agents, and occurrence of drug-resistant parasite strains are the main challenges related to chemotherapy. Currently, only a small number of drugs are available for leishmaniasis treatment, including pentavalent antimonials (SbV), amphotericin B and its formulations, miltefosine, paromomycin sulphate, and pentamidine isethionate. In addition to drug toxicity, therapeutic failure of leishmaniasis is a serious concern. The occurrence of drug-resistant parasites is one of the causes of therapeutic failure and is closely related to the diversity of parasites in this genus. Owing to the enormous plasticity of the genome, resistance can occur by altering different metabolic pathways, demonstrating that resistance mechanisms are multifactorial and extremely complex. Genetic variability and genome plasticity cause not only the available drugs to have limitations, but also make the search for new drugs challenging. Here, we examined the biological characteristics of parasites that hinder drug discovery.
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Zingales B, Bartholomeu DC. Trypanosoma cruzi genetic diversity: impact on transmission cycles and Chagas disease. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2022; 117:e210193. [PMID: 35544857 PMCID: PMC9088421 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760210193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas disease (ChD), exhibits remarkable biological and genetic diversity, along with eco-epidemiological complexity. In order to facilitate communication among researchers aiming at the characterisation of biological and epidemiological aspects of T. cruzi, parasite isolates and strains were partitioned into seven discrete typing units (DTUs), TcI-TcVI and TcBat, identifiable by reproducible genotyping protocols. Here we present the potential origin of the genetic diversity of T. cruzi and summarise knowledge about eco-epidemiological associations of DTUs with mammalian reservoirs and vectors. Circumstantial evidence of a connection between T. cruzi genotype and ChD manifestations is also discussed emphasising the role of the host’s immune response in clinical ChD progression. We describe genomic aspects of DTUs focusing on polymorphisms in multigene families encoding surface antigens that play essential functions for parasite survival both in the insect vector and the mammalian host. Such antigens most probably contributed to the parasite success in establishing infections in different hosts and exploring several niches. Gaps in the current knowledge and challenges for future research are pointed out.
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Dantas RF, Torres-Santos EC, Silva Jr FP. Past and future of trypanosomatids high-throughput phenotypic screening. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2022; 117:e210402. [PMID: 35293482 PMCID: PMC8920514 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760210402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Diseases caused by trypanosomatid parasites affect millions of people mainly living in developing countries. Novel drugs are highly needed since there are no vaccines and available treatment has several limitations, such as resistance, low efficacy, and high toxicity. The drug discovery process is often analogous to finding a needle in the haystack. In the last decades a so-called rational drug design paradigm, heavily dependent on computational approaches, has promised to deliver new drugs in a more cost-effective way. Paradoxically however, the mainstay of these computational methods is data-driven, meaning they need activity data for new compounds to be generated and available in databases. Therefore, high-throughput screening (HTS) of compounds still is a much-needed exercise in drug discovery to fuel other rational approaches. In trypanosomatids, due to the scarcity of validated molecular targets and biological complexity of these parasites, phenotypic screening has become an essential tool for the discovery of new bioactive compounds. In this article we discuss the perspectives of phenotypic HTS for trypanosomatid drug discovery with emphasis on the role of image-based, high-content methods. We also propose an ideal cascade of assays for the identification of new drug candidates for clinical development using leishmaniasis as an example.
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Delavari M, Olya MM, Arbabi M, Rasti S, Hooshyar H, Salimian M. Antileishmanial activity of auranofin against Leishmania major in vitro. Int Arch Health Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.4103/iahs.iahs_77_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
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45
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Palmer-Young EC, Raffel TR, Evans JD. Hot and sour: parasite adaptations to honeybee body temperature and pH. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211517. [PMID: 34847766 PMCID: PMC8634619 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Host temperature and gut chemistry can shape resistance to parasite infection. Heat and acidity can limit trypanosomatid infection in warm-blooded hosts and could shape infection resistance in insects as well. The colony-level endothermy and acidic guts of social bees provide unique opportunities to study how temperature and acidity shape insect-parasite associations. We compared temperature and pH tolerance between three trypanosomatid parasites from social bees and a related trypanosomatid from poikilothermic mosquitoes, which have alkaline guts. Relative to the mosquito parasites, all three bee parasites had higher heat tolerance that reflected body temperatures of hosts. Heat tolerance of the honeybee parasite Crithidia mellificae was exceptional for its genus, implicating honeybee endothermy as a plausible filter of parasite establishment. The lesser heat tolerance of the emerging Lotmaria passim suggests possible spillover from a less endothermic host. Whereas both honeybee parasites tolerated the acidic pH found in bee intestines, mosquito parasites tolerated the alkaline conditions found in mosquito midguts, suggesting that both gut pH and temperature could structure host-parasite specificity. Elucidating how host temperature and gut pH affect infection-and corresponding parasite adaptations to these factors-could help explain trypanosomatids' distribution among insects and invasion of mammals.
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Silveira GO, Coelho HS, Amaral MS, Verjovski-Almeida S. Long non-coding RNAs as possible therapeutic targets in protozoa, and in Schistosoma and other helminths. Parasitol Res 2021; 121:1091-1115. [PMID: 34859292 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07384-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) emerged in the past 20 years due to massive amounts of scientific data regarding transcriptomic analyses. They have been implicated in a plethora of cellular processes in higher eukaryotes. However, little is known about lncRNA possible involvement in parasitic diseases, with most studies only detecting their presence in parasites of human medical importance. Here, we review the progress on lncRNA studies and their functions in protozoans and helminths. In addition, we show an example of knockdown of one lncRNA in Schistosoma mansoni, SmLINC156349, which led to in vitro parasite adhesion, motility, and pairing impairment, with a 20% decrease in parasite viability and 33% reduction in female oviposition. Other observed phenotypes were a decrease in the proliferation rate of both male and female worms and their gonads, and reduced female lipid and vitelline droplets that are markers for well-developed vitellaria. Impairment of female worms' vitellaria in SmLINC156349-silenced worms led to egg development deficiency. All those results demonstrate the great potential of the tools and methods to characterize lncRNAs as potential new therapeutic targets. Further, we discuss the challenges and limitations of current methods for studying lncRNAs in parasites and possible solutions to overcome them, and we highlight the future directions of this exciting field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilbert O Silveira
- Laboratório de Parasitologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, 05503-900, Brazil.,Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 05508-900, Brazil
| | - Helena S Coelho
- Laboratório de Parasitologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Murilo S Amaral
- Laboratório de Parasitologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, 05503-900, Brazil.
| | - Sergio Verjovski-Almeida
- Laboratório de Parasitologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, 05503-900, Brazil. .,Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 05508-900, Brazil.
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Alves FM, Rangel DA, Vilar EM, Pavan MG, Moratelli R, Roque ALR, Jansen AM. Trypanosoma spp. Neobats: Insights about those poorly known trypanosomatids. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2021; 16:145-152. [PMID: 34567969 PMCID: PMC8449017 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2021.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Bats are infected with several trypanosomatid species; however, assessing the diversity of this interaction remains challenging since there are species apparently unable to grow in conventional culture media. Accordingly, the ecology and biology of the Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Trypanosoma spp. Neobats are unknown. Therefore, we performed the molecular characterization targeting the 18S small subunit rDNA from the blood clot of 280 bats of three Brazilian regions (Paraíba, Rio de Janeiro and Acre states), bypassing the selective pressure of hemoculture. From 68 (24%) positive blood clot samples, we obtained 49 satisfactory sequences. Of these successfully sequenced results, T. spp. Neobats (1, 3 and 4) represented 67%, with the most abundant T. sp. Neobat 4 (53%). Our results show: (1) high abundance and wide geographic range of T. sp. Neobat 4, restricted to Carollia bats; (2) high infection rate of T. sp. Neobat 4 in Carollia perspicillata populations (mean 26%); (3) infection with the monoxenous Crithidia mellificae; and (4) a new MOTU (T. sp. Neobat 5) in Artibeus cinereus, positioning in the Trypanosoma wauwau clade. These data corroborate the importance of bats as hosts of many Trypanosoma species and C. mellificae. They also show that the diversity of the T. wauwau clade is underestimated and warn about the high magnitude of trypanosomes we overpass with the hemoculture. Our findings combined with previous data show that T. spp. Neobats include host-specific and host-generalist species, probably playing different ecological roles: T. sp. Neobat 1 shows broad host range; T. spp. Neobat 3 and 4 are restricted to Artibeus and Carollia, respectively. Finally, T. Neobat 4 seems to be a well-succeeded parasite, especially within C. perspicillata metapopulations across a wide geographical distribution. This work is a step forward to understand the biology and life history of T. spp. Neobats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Moreira Alves
- Laboratory of Trypanosomatid Biology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Post-Graduate Program in Parasite Biology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Diana Azeredo Rangel
- Laboratory of Trypanosomatid Biology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Post-Graduate Program in Parasite Biology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Emmanuel Messias Vilar
- Laboratory of Mammals, Department of Systematics and Ecology, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil
| | - Márcio Galvão Pavan
- Laboratory of Hematozoan-Transmitting Mosquitoes, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Moratelli
- Fiocruz Mata Atlântica, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - André Luiz Rodrigues Roque
- Laboratory of Trypanosomatid Biology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana Maria Jansen
- Laboratory of Trypanosomatid Biology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Viecenz JM, Garavaglia PA, Tasso LM, Maidana CG, Bautista Cannata JJ, García GA. Identification and biochemical characterization of an ATP-dependent dihydroxyacetone kinase from Trypanosoma cruzi. Exp Parasitol 2021; 231:108178. [PMID: 34767777 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2021.108178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) can be used as an energy source by many cell types; however, it is toxic at high concentrations. The enzyme dihydroxyacetone kinase (DAK) has shown to be involved in DHA detoxification and osmoregulation. Among protozoa of the genus Trypanosoma, T. brucei, which causes sleeping sickness, is highly sensitive to DHA and does not have orthologous genes to DAK. Conversely, T. cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas Disease, has two putative ATP-dependent DAK (TcDAKs) sequences in its genome. Here we show that T. cruzi epimastigote lysates present a DAK specific activity of 27.1 nmol/min/mg of protein and that this form of the parasite is able to grow in the presence of 2 mM DHA. TcDAK gene was cloned and the recombinant enzyme (recTcDAK) was expressed in Escherichia coli. An anti-recTcDAK serum reacted with a protein of the expected molecular mass of 61 kDa in epimastigotes. recTcDAK presented maximal activity using Mg+2, showing a Km of 6.5 μM for DHA and a K0.5 of 124.7 μM for ATP. As it was reported for other DAKs, recTcDAK activity was inhibited by FAD with an IC50 value of 0.33 mM. In conclusion, TcDAK is the first DAK described in trypanosomatids confirming another divergent metabolism between T. brucei and T. cruzi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Matías Viecenz
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben"-ANLIS "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán". Paseo Colón 568, Buenos Aires, (1063), Argentina
| | - Patricia Andrea Garavaglia
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben"-ANLIS "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán". Paseo Colón 568, Buenos Aires, (1063), Argentina
| | - Laura Mónica Tasso
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben"-ANLIS "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán". Paseo Colón 568, Buenos Aires, (1063), Argentina
| | - Cristina Graciela Maidana
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben"-ANLIS "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán". Paseo Colón 568, Buenos Aires, (1063), Argentina
| | - Joaquín Juan Bautista Cannata
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas (IIB-INTECH) "Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde", Universidad Nacional de General San Martín-CONICET, San Martín, (1650), Prov. Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriela Andrea García
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben"-ANLIS "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán". Paseo Colón 568, Buenos Aires, (1063), Argentina.
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Berbigier AP, Barros JHDS, Pontes ES, Lisboa CV, Gentile R, Xavier SCDC, Jansen AM, Roque ALR. Trypanosomatid Richness in Wild and Synanthropic Small Mammals from a Biological Station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10111442. [PMID: 34832597 PMCID: PMC8620513 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10111442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosomatids are diverse and can infect several host species, including small mammals (rodents and marsupials). Between 2012 and 2014, 91 small mammals were surveyed for trypanosomatid infection in the Estação Biológica FIOCRUZ Mata Atlântica (EFMA), an Atlantic Forest area in Rio de Janeiro that presents different levels of conserved and degraded areas. Blood, skin, liver, and spleen samples were submitted to parasitological, serological, and molecular assays to detect the infection and determine the taxonomic status of their parasites. Sixty-eight individuals (74.7%; n = 91) were infected by trypanosomatids, including fourteen mixed infected by different trypanosomatid parasites. These hosts were infected by: T. cruzi DTU TcI (n = 12), T. cruzi DTU TcIV (n = 2), T. janseni (n = 15), T. dionisii (n = 1), and T. rangeli A (n = 1) detected in blood or tissue cultures, in addition to T. cruzi DTU TcI (n = 9) and Leishmania sp. (n = 1) only by the molecular diagnosis. Serological diagnosis was positive in 38 (71.6%) individuals for T. cruzi, the same amount for Leishmania spp., and 23 (43.3%) individuals were mixed infected. These data indicate a remarkable richness of trypanosomatid species/genotypes infecting small mammals, even in a disturbed area with low mammal species diversity—as is the case of the EFMA—reinforcing the generalist aspect of these parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Pereira Berbigier
- Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, Brazil; (A.P.B.); (J.H.d.S.B.); (E.S.P.); (C.V.L.); (S.C.d.C.X.); (A.M.J.)
| | - Juliana Helena da Silva Barros
- Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, Brazil; (A.P.B.); (J.H.d.S.B.); (E.S.P.); (C.V.L.); (S.C.d.C.X.); (A.M.J.)
| | - Edilene Sousa Pontes
- Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, Brazil; (A.P.B.); (J.H.d.S.B.); (E.S.P.); (C.V.L.); (S.C.d.C.X.); (A.M.J.)
| | - Cristiane Varella Lisboa
- Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, Brazil; (A.P.B.); (J.H.d.S.B.); (E.S.P.); (C.V.L.); (S.C.d.C.X.); (A.M.J.)
| | - Rosana Gentile
- Laboratório de Biologia e Parasitologia de Mamíferos Silvestres Reservatórios, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, Brazil;
| | - Samanta Cristina das Chagas Xavier
- Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, Brazil; (A.P.B.); (J.H.d.S.B.); (E.S.P.); (C.V.L.); (S.C.d.C.X.); (A.M.J.)
| | - Ana Maria Jansen
- Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, Brazil; (A.P.B.); (J.H.d.S.B.); (E.S.P.); (C.V.L.); (S.C.d.C.X.); (A.M.J.)
| | - André Luiz Rodrigues Roque
- Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, Brazil; (A.P.B.); (J.H.d.S.B.); (E.S.P.); (C.V.L.); (S.C.d.C.X.); (A.M.J.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +55-(21)-2562-1416; Fax: +55-(21)-2562-1609
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50
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Pérez-Brígido CD, Romero-Salas D, Pardío-Sedas VT, Cruz-Romero A, González-Hernández M, Delprá-Cachulo JM, Ascencio M, Florin-Christensen M, Schnittger L, Rodríguez AE. Molecular evidence of Leishmania spp. in spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) from The Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Veracruz, Mexico. Vet Res Commun 2021. [PMID: 34623556 DOI: 10.1007/s11259-021-09842-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The black-handed spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) is a platyrrhine primate distributed in southern Mexico, Central America, and part of South America. Two subspecies inhabit Mexico: Ateles geoffroyi vellerosus and Ateles geoffroyi yucatanensis, both threatened with extinction. Serological evidence of exposure of spider monkeys to various groups of parasites such as Trypanosoma cruzi in México and Leishmania spp. in Brazil has been reported. The genus Leishmania encompasses about 23 species of flagellate protozoa that are transmitted by the bite of females of Phlebotominae sand flies. These parasites cause a zoonotic disease called leishmaniasis, which generates skin, mucocutaneous and/or visceral manifestations. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the presence of Leishmania sp. in spider monkeys from the Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Veracruz, Mexico. Blood samples from 10 free- ranging specimens of A. geoffroyi yucatanensis and 11 specimens in captivity of A. geoffroyi vellerosus were collected and used. The samples were subjected to a conventional Polymerase Chain Reaction test for the identification of a 116 bp fragment of a region from the kinetoplast minicircle of the parasite. Our analyzes showed that 71.4% of the sampled animals had fragment sizes compatible with Leishmania spp. The implications involve the survival of the specimens and the possibility that these primates act as sentinels of the disease. Furthermore, it is the first report suggesting the presence of Leishmania spp. in A. geoffroyi vellerosus and A. geoffroyi yucatanensis in Veracruz, Mexico.
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