Variability of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum among stocks from immunocompromised, immunocompetent patients and dogs in Spain

• Published in: FEMS microbiology letters Vol. 131; no. 2; pp. 197 - 204
• Main Authors: Jiménez, Maribel, Ferrer-Dufol, Montserrat, Cañavate, Carmen, Gutiérrez-Solar, Beatriz, Molina, Ricardo, Lagun, Fernando, López-Vélez, Rogelio, Cercenado, Emilia, Daudén, Esteban, Blazquez, Julio, Guevara, Conception Ladrón de, Gómez, Javier, de la Torre, Julian, Barros, Carlos, Altes, Jordi, Serra, Teresa, Alvar, Jorge
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier B.V 01.09.1995; Blackwell
• Subjects: AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections - epidemiology; AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections - parasitology; AIDS/HIV; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; cutaneous leishmaniasis; Disease Reservoirs; dogs; Dogs - parasitology; Genetic Variation; human immunodeficiency virus; Human protozoal diseases; Humans; Immunity, Cellular; Immunocompetence; Immunocompromised Host; Infectious diseases; Isoenzymes - genetics; Leishmania infantum; Leishmania infantum - enzymology; Leishmania infantum - genetics; Leishmania infantum - isolation & purification; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous - epidemiology; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous - parasitology; Leishmaniasis, Visceral - epidemiology; Leishmaniasis, Visceral - parasitology; Leshmaniasis; Male; Medical sciences; Parasitic diseases; Protozoal diseases; Spain - epidemiology; Virulence - immunology; visceral leishmaniasis; zymodemes; Spain; Human; Fissipedia; Immunopathology; Protozoa; Carnivora; Protozoal disease; Leishmania infantum; Typing; Isozyme; AIDS; Parasitosis; Leishmaniasis; Immune deficiency; Infection; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Viral disease; Rhizoflagellata; Dog; Clinical isolate; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0378-1097; 1574-6968
• DOI: 10.1016/0378-1097(95)00259-8

Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum is the causative agent of both the cutaneous and visceral forms of leishmaniasis in southwest Europe; the dog is the main reservoir. In order to identify the L. (L.) infantum zymodemes present in Spain, a total number of 85 Leishmania stocks isolated from dogs (31), HIV-positive patients (46) with visceral or cutaneous leishmaniasis, a patient with visceral leishmaniasis complicating renal transplantation (1) and immunocompetent patients (7) with visceral or cutaneous leishmaniasis, have been characterized by isoenzyme typing. All canine stocks were MON-1, which is the most widespread zymodeme in the Mediterranean area. In immunocompetent patients three zymodemes were found: MON-1 (2), MON-24 (2) and MON-34 (3). Nine different zymodemes were obtained in stocks from HTV co-infected patients, indicating a higher variability of L. (L.) infantum amongst them: MON-1 (in 21 stocks), MON-24 (7), MON-28 (1), MON-29 (3), MON-33 (7), MON-34 (1) and MON-183 (4). Two new zymodemes, MON-198 (1) and MON-199 (1), were described among HIV patients from Spain. The stock from the renal transplanted patient was MON-1. The exclusive presence of certain zymodemes in immunocompromised patients and their absence in typical cases of cutaneous and visceral