Publication
Title
Genomes of Leishmania parasites directly sequenced from patients with visceral leishmaniasis in the Indian subcontinent
Author
Abstract
Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is increasingly used for molecular diagnosis and epidemiology of infectious diseases. Current Leishmania genomic studies rely on DNA extracted from cultured parasites, which might introduce sampling and biological biases into the subsequent analyses. Up to now, direct analysis of Leishmania genome in clinical samples is hampered by high levels of human DNA and large variation in parasite load in clinical samples. Here, we present a method, based on target enrichment of Leishmania donovani DNA with Agilent SureSelect technology, that allows the analysis of Leishmania genomes directly in clinical samples. We validated our protocol with a set of artificially mixed samples, followed by the analysis of 63 clinical samples (bone marrow or spleen aspirates) from visceral leishmaniasis patients in Nepal. We were able to identify genotypes using a set of diagnostic SNPs in almost all of these samples (97%) and access comprehensive genome-wide information in most (83%). This allowed us to perform phylogenomic analysis, assess chromosome copy number and identify large copy number variants (CNVs). Pairwise comparisons between the parasite genomes in clinical samples and derived in vitro cultured promastigotes showed a lower aneuploidy in amastigotes as well as genomic differences, suggesting polyclonal infections in patients. Altogether our results underline the need for sequencing parasite genomes directly in the host samples
Language
English
Source (journal)
PLoS neglected tropical diseases
Publication
2019
ISSN
1935-2727
1935-2735
DOI
10.1371/JOURNAL.PNTD.0007900
Volume/pages
13 :12 (2019) , p. 1-22
Article Reference
e0007900
ISI
000559317800030
Pubmed ID
31830038
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
New tools for monitoring drug resistance and treatment response in visceral leishmaniasis in the Indian subcontinent. (KALADRUG-R).
Tolerantie en resistentie tegen parasiet infecties: de trypanosomatidae als paradigma
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 30.03.2020
Last edited 16.08.2024
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