Assessing reservoir host status in leishmaniasis with special reference to the infectiousness of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis infections in wild rodents

Molecular methods have been responsible for a notable increase in the detection of Leishmaniinae infections in wild animals. Determining their infectiousness is of paramount importance in evaluating their epidemiological significance. One of the most efficient ways of determining infectiousness for...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical 2023-01, Vol.56, p.0503-0503
Main Authors: Shaw, Jeffrey J, Marinho-Júnior, José F, Courtenay, Orin, Brandão-Filho, Sinval P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Asymptomatic infections
Cutaneous leishmaniasis
Leishmania - genetics
Leishmania braziliensis - genetics
Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous - diagnosis
Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous - veterinary
Molecular xenodiagnostic surrogate
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
Reservoir host
Review
Rodentia
TROPICAL MEDICINE
Xenodiagnosis
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Molecular methods have been responsible for a notable increase in the detection of Leishmaniinae infections in wild animals. Determining their infectiousness is of paramount importance in evaluating their epidemiological significance. One of the most efficient ways of determining infectiousness for vector borne diseases is xenodiagnosis with the appropriate vector. However, this is logistically very difficult to accomplish in the field, and an ideal solution is to find a molecular surrogate for xenodiagnosis. In this review we discuss different approaches to the problem by focusing on the infectiousness of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis in rodents under laboratory and field conditions. Comparisons with similar studies for other Leishmania species emphasizes that there are pivotal differences in the infectiousness and the importance of asymptomatic infections in different hosts. Potentially the most promising surrogate is the real time quantitative PCR (qPCR). However, its success depends on choosing a tissue that relates to the vector's feeding location and the parasite's tissue tropism. This requires detailed knowledge of the infection of each species in its wild hosts. We conclude that for L. (V.) braziliensis infections in wild rodents the tissue of choice for a molecular xenodiagnostic test, based on the qPCR is blood, providing that a significant number of samples must be examined.
ISSN:0037-8682
1678-9849
1678-9849
DOI:10.1590/0037-8682-0503-2023