Evidence of a conserved mammalian immunosuppression mechanism in upon infection with .

Introduction: Sand flies (Diptera: Phlebotominae) belonging to the genus transmit parasites. To understand the complex interaction between the vector and the parasite, we have been investigating the sand fly immune responses during the infection. Our previous studies showed that genes involved in the IMD, Toll, and Jak-STAT immunity pathways are regulated upon and bacterial challenges.

Infectiousness of Asymptomatic , Reservoir Host of .

Leishmaniases are neglected diseases caused by protozoans of the genus that threaten millions of people worldwide. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by is a typical zoonosis transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies and maintained in rodent reservoirs. The female sand fly was assumed to become infected by feeding on the skin lesion of the host, and the relative contribution of asymptomatic individuals to disease transmission was unknown.

Three types of amastigotes: Proteome comparison by quantitative proteomic analysis.

is the unicellular parasite transmitted by phlebotomine sand fly bite. It exists in two different forms; extracellular promastigotes, occurring in the gut of sand flies, and intracellular, round-shaped amastigotes residing mainly in vertebrate macrophages. As amastigotes originating from infected animals are often present in insufficient quality and quantity, two alternative types of amastigotes were introduced for laboratory experiments: axenic amastigotes and amastigotes from macrophages infected .

Repurposing of MitoTam: Novel Anti-Cancer Drug Candidate Exhibits Potent Activity against Major Protozoan and Fungal Pathogens.

Many of the currently available anti-parasitic and anti-fungal frontline drugs have severe limitations, including adverse side effects, complex administration, and increasing occurrence of resistance. The discovery and development of new therapeutic agents is a costly and lengthy process. Therefore, repurposing drugs with already established clinical application offers an attractive, fast-track approach for novel treatment options.

Leishmania guyanensis M4147 as a new LRV1-bearing model parasite: Phosphatidate phosphatase 2-like protein controls cell cycle progression and intracellular lipid content.

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic vector-borne disease caused by the protistan flagellates of the genus Leishmania. Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis is one of the most common causative agents of the American tegumentary leishmaniasis. It has previously been shown that L.

Antimicrobial Peptides: Differential Expression during Development and Potential Involvement in Vector Interaction with Microbiota and .

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are produced to control bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and other infectious agents. Sand fly larvae develop and feed on a microbe-rich substrate, and the hematophagous females are exposed to additional pathogens. We focused on understanding the role of the AMPs attacin (Att), cecropin (Cec), and four defensins (Def1, Def2, Def3, and Def4) in the main vector of visceral leishmaniasis in the Americas.

Catalase impairs development and virulence.

Catalase is one of the most abundant enzymes on Earth. It decomposes hydrogen peroxide, thus protecting cells from dangerous reactive oxygen species. The catalase-encoding gene is conspicuously absent from the genome of most representatives of the family Trypanosomatidae.

Colonization and genetic diversification processes of Leishmania infantum in the Americas.

Leishmania infantum causes visceral leishmaniasis, a deadly vector-borne disease introduced to the Americas during the colonial era. This non-native trypanosomatid parasite has since established widespread transmission cycles using alternative vectors, and human infection has become a significant concern to public health, especially in Brazil. A multi-kilobase deletion was recently detected in Brazilian L.

The Phlebotomus papatasi systemic transcriptional response to trypanosomatid-contaminated blood does not differ from the non-infected blood meal.

Background: Leishmaniasis, caused by parasites of the genus Leishmania, is a disease that affects up to 8 million people worldwide. Parasites are transmitted to human and animal hosts through the bite of an infected sand fly. Novel strategies for disease control require a better understanding of the key step for transmission, namely the establishment of infection inside the fly.

Sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in eight Balkan countries: historical review and region-wide entomological survey.

Background: Sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) are medically important vectors of human and veterinary disease-causing agents. Among these, the genus Leishmania (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae), and phleboviruses are of utmost importance. Despite such significance, updated information about sand fly fauna is missing for Balkan countries where both sand flies and autochtonous leishmaniases are historically present and recently re-emerging.

Recombinant Salivary Proteins Polarize Murine Macrophages Toward the Anti-Inflammatory Phenotype.

(Diptera: Phlebotominae) is a medically and veterinary important insect vector. It transmits the unicellular parasite that multiplies intracellularly in macrophages causing life-threatening visceral diseases. establishment in the vertebrate host is substantially influenced by immunomodulatory properties of vector saliva that are obligatorily co-injected into the feeding site.

Central Asian Rodents as Model Animals for and Research.

The clinical manifestation of leishmaniases depends on parasite species, host genetic background, and immune response. Manifestations of human leishmaniases are highly variable, ranging from self-healing skin lesions to fatal visceral disease. The scope of standard model hosts is insufficient to mimic well the wide disease spectrum, which compels the introduction of new model animals for leishmaniasis research.

Monitoring Leishmania infection and exposure to Phlebotomus perniciosus using minimal and non-invasive canine samples.

Background: In endemic areas of zoonotic leishmaniosis caused by L. infantum, early detection of Leishmania infection in dogs is essential to control the dissemination of the parasite to humans. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serological and/or molecular diagnostic performance of minimally and non-invasive samples (conjunctiva cells (CS) and peripheral blood (PB)) for monitoring Leishmania infection/exposure to Phlebotomus perniciosus salivary antigens in dogs at the beginning and the end of sand fly seasonal activity (May and October, respectively) and to assess associated risks factors.

Experimental infections and co-infections with Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania infantum in two sand fly species, Lutzomyia migonei and Lutzomyia longipalpis.

Leishmaniases are neglected tropical diseases and Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum and Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis are the most important causative agents of leishmaniases in the New World. These two parasite species may co-circulate in a given endemic area but their interactions in the vector have not been studied yet. We conducted experimental infections using both single infections and co-infections to compare the development of L.

The First Non-LRV RNA Virus in .

In this work, we describe the first -infecting leishbunyavirus-the first virus other than (LRV) found in trypanosomatid parasites. Its host is , a human pathogen causing infections with a wide range of manifestations from asymptomatic to severe visceral disease. This virus (LBV1) possesses many characteristic features of leishbunyaviruses, such as tripartite organization of its RNA genome, with ORFs encoding RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, surface glycoprotein, and nucleoprotein on L, M, and S segments, respectively.

Host competence of the African rodents and for from Ethiopia and . () sp. from Ghana.

Visceral leishmaniasis caused by is regarded as mostly anthroponotic, but a role for animal reservoir hosts in transmission has been suggested in East Africa. Field studies in this region have shown the presence of this parasite in several mammalian species, including rodents of the genera and . Further, the natural reservoirs of ( sp.

Field study of the improved rapid sand fly exposure test in areas endemic for canine leishmaniasis.

Background: Canine leishmaniasis (CanL) is a severe chronic disease caused by Leishmania infantum and transmitted by sand flies of which the main vector in the Western part of the Mediterranean basin is Phlebotomus perniciosus. Previously, an immunochromatographic test (ICT) was proposed to allow rapid evaluation of dog exposure to P. perniciosus.

-Encoded Dual Specificity Protein/Lipid Phosphatase Impairs Virulence .

Protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation is an important regulatory mechanism that controls many key physiological processes. Numerous pathogens successfully use kinases and phosphatases to internalize, replicate, and survive, modifying the host's phosphorylation profile or signal transduction pathways. Multiple phosphatases and kinases from diverse bacterial pathogens have been implicated in human infections before.

Comparative Study of Promastigote- and Amastigote-Initiated Infection of Leishmania infantum (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in Phlebotomus perniciosus (Diptera: Psychodidae) Conducted in Different Biosafety Level Laboratories.

Sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) are natural vectors of Leishmania. For the initiation of sand fly experimental infections either Leishmania amastigotes or promastigotes can be used. In order to obtain comparable results, it is necessary to adjust and standardize procedures.

Antibody Response to Toscana Virus and Sandfly Fever Sicilian Virus in Cats Naturally Exposed to Phlebotomine Sand Fly Bites in Portugal.

Phlebotomine sand fly-borne pathogens such as spp. and phleboviruses are emerging threats to humans and animals worldwide. The aim of this work was to evaluate the exposure of cats from Portugal to Toscana virus (TOSV) and Sandfly Fever Sicilian virus (SFSV) and assess the associated risk factors.

Genetic dissection of a Leishmania flagellar proteome demonstrates requirement for directional motility in sand fly infections.

The protozoan parasite Leishmania possesses a single flagellum, which is remodelled during the parasite's life cycle from a long motile flagellum in promastigote forms in the sand fly to a short immotile flagellum in amastigotes residing in mammalian phagocytes. This study examined the protein composition and in vivo function of the promastigote flagellum. Protein mass spectrometry and label free protein enrichment testing of isolated flagella and deflagellated cell bodies defined a flagellar proteome for L.

Antibody response to Phlebotomus perniciosus saliva in cats naturally exposed to phlebotomine sand flies is positively associated with Leishmania infection.

Background: Zoonotic leishmaniosis, caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum, is a public and animal health problem in Asia, Central and South America, the Middle East and the Mediterranean Basin. Several phlebotomine sand fly species from the subgenus Larroussius are vectors of L. infantum.

Host competence of African rodents and for .

Cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by is a typical zoonosis circulating in rodents. In Sub-Saharan Africa the reservoirs remain to be identified, although has been detected in several rodent species including members of the genera and . However, differentiation of true reservoir hosts from incidental hosts requires in-depth studies both in the field and in the laboratory, with the best method for testing the infectiousness of hosts to biting vectors being xenodiagnosis.