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Multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT) reveals host-related population structure in Leishmania infantum from northeastern Italy
- Source :
- PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 12, Iss 7, p e0006595 (2018)
- Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Background Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania infantum is an ongoing health problem in southern Europe, where dogs are considered the main reservoirs of the disease. Current data point to a northward spread of VL and canine leishmaniasis (CanL) in Italy, with new foci in northern regions previously regarded as non-endemic. Methodology/Principal findings Multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT) was performed to investigate genetic diversity and population structure of L. infantum on 55 samples from infected humans, dogs and sand flies of the E-R region between 2013 and 2017. E-R samples were compared with 10 L. infantum samples from VL cases in other Italian regions (extra E-R) and with 52 strains within the L. donovani complex. Data displayed significant microsatellite polymorphisms with low allelic heterozygosity. Forty-one unique and eight repeated MLMT profiles were recognized among the L. infantum samples from E-R, and ten unique MLMT profiles were assigned to the extra E-R samples. Bayesian analysis assigned E-R samples to two distinct populations, with further sub-structuring within each of them; all CanL samples belonged to one population, genetically related to Mediterranean MON-1 strains, while all but one VL cases as well as the isolate from the sand fly Phlebotomus perfiliewi fell under the second population. Conversely, VL samples from other Italian regions proved to be genetically similar to strains circulating in dogs. Conclusions/Significance A peculiar epidemiological situation was observed in northeastern Italy, with the co-circulation of two distinct populations of L. infantum; one population mainly detected in dogs and the other population detected in humans and in a sand fly. While the classical cycle of CanL in Italy fits well into the data obtained for the first population, the population found in infected humans exhibits a different cycle, probably not involving a canine reservoir. This study can contribute to a better understanding of the population structure of L. infantum circulating in northeastern Italy, thus providing useful epidemiologic information for public health authorities.<br />Author summary Visceral leishmaniasis is a sand fly-borne disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. Leishmania infantum is the only parasitic species circulating in Italy and dogs are considered the main reservoirs of the disease. In this study, 55 L. infantum strains obtained from humans, dogs and sand flies from the Emiliana-Romagna (E-R) region, northeastern Italy, were assessed using multilocus microsatellite typing, a tool applied for population genetic studies. Results were compared with those obtained from 10 samples of visceral leishmaniasis cases occurring in other Italian regions and with 52 strains of the L. donovani complex from other foci of leishmaniasis. Our genetic analysis revealed that canine and human L. infantum strains from the E-R region were separated in two distinct populations; all samples obtained from dogs belonged to one population, while all but one human samples as well as a sand fly sample fell under another population. Samples from patients with visceral leishmaniasis from other Italian regions proved to be genetically similar to strains circulating in dogs. Our findings raise questions on the role of dogs as main reservoirs for human visceral leishmaniasis in the investigated area of northeastern Italy.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Male
European People
Population genetics
Disease Vectors
Geographical locations
Microsatellite Loci
0302 clinical medicine
Zoonoses
Medicine and Health Sciences
Canine leishmaniasis
Dog
Ethnicities
Dog Diseases
Leishmania infantum
Leishmaniasis
Phylogeny
Protozoans
Leishmania
Mammals
education.field_of_study
biology
lcsh:Public aspects of medicine
Eukaryota
Italian People
Europe
Infectious Diseases
Italy
Vertebrates
Microsatellite
Leishmaniasis, Visceral
Microsatellite Repeat
Female
Dog Disease
Research Article
Neglected Tropical Diseases
Human
lcsh:Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
Genotype
lcsh:RC955-962
030231 tropical medicine
Population
Zoology
Host Specificity
03 medical and health sciences
Dogs
Gene Types
parasitic diseases
Parasitic Diseases
Genetics
medicine
Animals
Humans
European Union
Psychodidae
education
Evolutionary Biology
Protozoan Infections
Population Biology
Animal
Organisms
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Biology and Life Sciences
Genetic Variation
lcsh:RA1-1270
Tropical Diseases
biology.organism_classification
medicine.disease
Parasitic Protozoans
Insect Vectors
Sand Flies
Species Interactions
030104 developmental biology
Visceral leishmaniasis
Amniotes
Population Groupings
People and places
Population Genetics
Microsatellite Repeats
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 12, Iss 7, p e0006595 (2018)
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....65cda0bf231477cab0782b19f6ae91b1