Validation of Oxford nanopore sequencing for improved New World Leishmania species identification via analysis of 70-kDA heat shock protein.

Background: Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by obligate intracellular protozoa of the genus Leishmania. This infection is characterized by a wide range of clinical manifestations, with symptoms greatly dependent on the causal parasitic species. Here we present the design and application of a new 70-kDa heat shock protein gene (hsp70)-based marker of 771 bp (HSP70-Long).

Clinical performance of a quantitative pan-genus Real-time PCR assay for diagnosis of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis.

Leishmaniasis is a complex vector-borne disease caused by various species, affecting humans and animals. Current diagnostic methods have limitations, leading to potential misdiagnosis. Therefore, there is an urgent need for specific and sensitive diagnostic tools.

Diversity and geographical distribution of Leishmania species and the emergence of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum and L. (Viannia) panamensis in Central-Western Venezuela.

Transmission of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Venezuela reveals diverse and changing epidemiological landscapes, as well as a spectrum of clinical phenotypes presumed to be linked to a variety of Leishmania species. Central-western Venezuela constitutes one of the highest endemic epicenters in the country, and updated molecular epidemiological information is still lacking. Therefore, in this study we aimed to characterize the landscape of circulating Leishmania species across central-western Venezuela through the last two decades, performed comparisons of haplotype and nucleotide diversity, and built a geospatial map of parasite species distribution.

An overview of the trypanosomatid (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) parasites infecting several mammal species in Colombia.

Background: Trypanosomatids are among the most critical parasites for public health due to their impact on human, animal, and plant health. Diseases associated with these pathogens manifest mainly in poor and vulnerable populations, where social, environmental, and biological factors modulate the case incidence and geographical distribution.

Methods: We used Sanger and amplicon-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) in samples from different mammals to identify trypanosomatid infections in several departments in Colombia.

Development of an Amplicon-Based Next-Generation Sequencing Protocol to Identify Species and Other Trypanosomatids in Leishmaniasis Endemic Areas.

Trypanosomatid infections are an important public health threat affecting many low-income countries across the tropics, particularly in the Americas. Trypanosomatids can infect many vertebrate, invertebrate, and plant species and play an important role as human pathogens. Among these clinically relevant pathogens are species from the genera and .