Infectiousness of Leishmania major to Phlebotomus papatasi: differences between natural reservoir host Meriones shawi and laboratory model BALB/c mice

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11310%2F25%3A10499521" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11310/25:10499521 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=SvIsaJudqU" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=SvIsaJudqU</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0013183" target="_blank" >10.1371/journal.pntd.0013183</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Infectiousness of Leishmania major to Phlebotomus papatasi: differences between natural reservoir host Meriones shawi and laboratory model BALB/c mice

Original language description

Host infectiousness to insect vectors is a crucial parameter for understanding the transmission dynamics of insect-borne infectious diseases such as leishmaniases. Despite their importance, critical factors influencing the outwards transmission of Leishmania major, including parasite distribution within the host body and the minimum number of skin amastigotes required for vector infection, remain poorly characterized. To address these gaps, we studied these parameters in the natural North African reservoir host Meriones shawi and in BALB/c mice infected with a low parasite dose. Using qPCR, we quantified Leishmania loads in different zones (regions) of infected ear pinnae, whereas microscale infectiousness was evaluated via microbiopsies and fluorescence microscopy. The amastigote distribution within infected ears was heterogeneous, with pronounced differences between the lesion center, lesion margin, and visually unaffected surrounding skin. Phlebotomus papatasi females that fed in areas where no amastigotes were detected via microscopy did not become infected. In M. shawi, lesion margins have emerged as the most effective source of infection. The number of amastigotes at bite sites where sand fly females became infected ranged from 4--500, with as few as 2--10 amastigotes sufficient to initiate vector infection. This low infection threshold was confirmed by experiments in which P. papatasi was fed through a chick-skin membrane. In contrast, the BALB/c mouse model showed only minor differences in infectiousness between lesion centers and margins. The minimum infectious dose in BALB/c mice was approximately 100 times greater than that in M. shawi, with successful infections occurring at sites containing 1,500-10,000 amastigotes. These findings advance our understanding of Leishmania transmission by addressing critical knowledge gaps and enabling more accurate modelling of cutaneous leishmaniasis epidemiology. Moreover, this study highlights the importance of incorporating natural host models in research, as the dynamics of disease progression and transmission parameters can differ significantly between natural hosts and standard laboratory models.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10600 - Biological sciences

Project

<a href="/en/project/GA23-06299S" target="_blank" >GA23-06299S: Transmission cycles of Leishmania major in natural reservoir hosts: local analyses with global implications</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases

ISSN

1935-2727

e-ISSN

1935-2735

Volume of the periodical

19

Issue of the periodical within the volume

6

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

14

Pages from-to

e0013183

UT code for WoS article

001509992400001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105009908949