Experimental mixed infection of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis and Leishmania (L.) infantum in hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)

• Published in: Parasitology Vol. 144; no. 9; pp. 1191 - 1202
• Main Authors: DE LIMA CELESTE, JORDANNA LUÍZA, VENUTO MOURA, ANA PAULA, FRANÇA-SILVA, JOÃO CARLOS, MATOS DE SOUSA, GABRIELA, OLIVEIRA SILVA, SORAIA, NORMA MELO, MARIA, LUIZ TAFURI, WAGNER, CARVALHO SOUZA, CAROLINA, MONTEIRO DE ANDRADE, HÉLIDA
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.08.2017
• Subjects: Animals; Blotting, Western; Coinfection; Cricetinae; Disease Models, Animal; Epidemiology; Hamsters; Hygiene; Immune response; Immune response (humoral); Immune system; Immunity, Humoral; Immunogenicity; Immunoglobulin G; Immunology; Infections; Leishmania; Leishmania - immunology; Leishmania braziliensis; Leishmania donovani; Leishmania infantum - immunology; Leishmania major; Leishmaniasis - immunology; Leishmaniasis - parasitology; Leishmaniasis, Visceral - immunology; Medical research; Medical treatment; Mesocricetus; Mesocricetus auratus; Mixed infection; Parasites; Parasitic diseases; Proteins; Skin; South America; Spleen; Spleen - parasitology; Tissue culture; Vector-borne diseases; Visceral leishmaniasis; South America; clinical course; Leishmania infantum; experimental infection; humoral immune response; mixed infection; Leishmania amazonensis
• ISSN: 0031-1820; 1469-8161
• DOI: 10.1017/S0031182017000464

In South America, visceral leishmaniasis is frequently caused by Leishmania infantum and, at an unknown frequency, by Leishmania amazonensis. Therefore, mixed infections with these organisms are possible. Mixed infections might affect the clinical course, immune response, diagnosis, treatment and epidemiology of the disease. Here we describe the clinical course of mixed infections with L. amazonensis and L. infantum in a hamster model. We show that mixed infections are associated with more severe clinical disease than infection with L. amazonensis or L. infantum alone. In spleens with mixed infections, L. infantum outcompeted L. amazonensis in the tissue, but not in culture from tissue. We found increased levels of IgG in animals infected with L. infantum. Although more than 30 bands were revealed in a Western blot, the highest immunogenicity was observed with proteins having molecular masses of 95 and 90 kDa, whereas proteins with molecular masses of lower than 50 kDa were reactive frequently with serum from hamsters infected with L. amazonensis, and proteins with molecular masses of 80 and 70 kDa were reactive only with serum from hamsters infected with L. infantum. This finding has important implications regarding the biology of Leishmania and humoral immune responses to infections with these organisms.