Increased transmission potential of Leishmania major/Leishmania infantum hybrids - PubMed (original) (raw)

Increased transmission potential of Leishmania major/Leishmania infantum hybrids

Petr Volf et al. Int J Parasitol. 2007 May.

Abstract

Development of Leishmania infantum/Leishmania major hybrids was studied in two sand fly species. In Phlebotomus papatasi, which supported development of L. major but not L. infantum, the hybrids produced heavy late-stage infections with high numbers of metacyclic promastigotes. In the permissive vector Lutzomyia longipalpis, all Leishmania strains included in this study developed well. Hybrids were found to express L. major lipophosphoglycan, apparently enabling them to survive in P. papatasi midgut. The genetic exchange of the hybrids thus appeared to have enhanced their transmission potential and fitness. A potentially serious consequence is the future spread of the hybrids using this peridomestic and antropophilic vector.

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Figures

Fig. 1

Fig. 1

Development of Leishmania hybrids in Lutzomyia longipalpis and Phlebotomus papatasi. Infection rates and density of Leishmania major (MA), Leishmania infantum (IN), hybrid LEM4891 (H1) and hybrid LEM4833 (H3) in sand fly midgut on days 2, 7 and 10 p.i. Infections were classified into three categories: heavy (more than 1,000 promastigotes per gut) - black bars, moderate (100-1,000) - grey bars, light (1-100) - white bars. Numbers above the bars indicate the number of dissected females. A) Development in L. longipalpis: the infection rate and the intensity of infection did not differ between Leishmania strains studied. B) Development in P. papatasi: on days 7 and 10 p.i., the infection rate and the intensity of infection significantly differed between L. major, hybrids and L. infantum.

Fig. 1

Fig. 1

Development of Leishmania hybrids in Lutzomyia longipalpis and Phlebotomus papatasi. Infection rates and density of Leishmania major (MA), Leishmania infantum (IN), hybrid LEM4891 (H1) and hybrid LEM4833 (H3) in sand fly midgut on days 2, 7 and 10 p.i. Infections were classified into three categories: heavy (more than 1,000 promastigotes per gut) - black bars, moderate (100-1,000) - grey bars, light (1-100) - white bars. Numbers above the bars indicate the number of dissected females. A) Development in L. longipalpis: the infection rate and the intensity of infection did not differ between Leishmania strains studied. B) Development in P. papatasi: on days 7 and 10 p.i., the infection rate and the intensity of infection significantly differed between L. major, hybrids and L. infantum.

Fig. 2

Fig. 2

Detection of Leishmania major lipophosphoglycan using specific mAbs. A) Indirect immunofluorescence of L. major (MA), Leishmania infantum (IN), hybrid LEM4891 (H1) and hybrid LEM4833 (H3) with WIC 79.3 antibodies. Note the intermediate phenotype of hybrids. B) Same by differential interference contrast (Nomarski).

Fig. 3

Fig. 3

Agglutination profiles of Leishmania hybrids with mAbs. Leishmania major (MA), Leishmania infantum (IN), hybrid LEM4891 (H1) and hybrid LEM4833 (H3) were incubated with WIC 79.3 to detect the localization of L. major lipophosphoglycan on parasite surface.

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