Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40420215›Full record

ArticleInfectious diseases of poverty2025

Combination of Cpb-Hsp70 typing methods reveals genetic divergence between Leishmania infantum strains causing human tegumentary leishmaniasis in northern Italy and central Spain: a retrospective study.

Tommaso Gritti, Carmen Chicharro, Eugenia Carrillo, Jose Carlos Solana, Javier Moreno, Elena Carra, Margherita Ortalli, Sara Morselli, Valeria Gaspari, Margherita Zanazzi and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Infectious diseases of poverty, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Evaluation of Multi-Target Genotyping (ITS-Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
  2. Characterization ofVeterinary sciences · 2025
    Article
  3. Rare detection of dermalParasite epidemiology and control · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Tommaso Gritti *Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40138, Bologna, Italy.
Carmen Chicharro *WHO Collaborating Centre for Leishmaniasis, National Centre for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28220, Majadahonda, Spain.
Eugenia CarrilloWHO Collaborating Centre for Leishmaniasis, National Centre for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28220, Majadahonda, Spain.
Jose Carlos SolanaWHO Collaborating Centre for Leishmaniasis, National Centre for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28220, Majadahonda, Spain.
Javier MorenoWHO Collaborating Centre for Leishmaniasis, National Centre for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28220, Majadahonda, Spain.
Elena CarraIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, 25124, Brescia, Italy.
Margherita OrtalliDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40138, Bologna, Italy.
Sara MorselliDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40138, Bologna, Italy.
Valeria GaspariUnit of Dermatology, Head and Neck Department, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138, Bologna, Italy.
Margherita ZanazziDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40138, Bologna, Italy.
Tiziana LazzarottoDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40138, Bologna, Italy.
Gianluca Rugna *Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, 25124, Brescia, Italy.
Stefania Varani *Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40138, Bologna, Italy. stefania.varani@unibo.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0862-4937

Funding

Centro de Investigación Biotecnológica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas PI24CIII/00023European Commission, NextGenerationEU INF-ACTEuropean Commission, NextGenerationEU PE00000007Ministero della Salute E54I19002870001-IZSLER PRC 2019016
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) caused by Leishmania infantum is an overlooked yet re-emerging disease endemic in Mediterranean Europe. Currently, no standardized molecular surveillance of circulating Leishmania strains is performed in European endemic areas, despite the potential public health implications of parasite biodiversity. This study aims to characterize parasite population haplogroups causing TL in two active endemic areas in southern Europe, i.e. Bologna (northern Italy) and Fuenlabrada (central Spain).

methodsIn this retrospective study, we typed 87 L. infantum samples from TL cases in the areas of Bologna and Fuenlabrada; these areas hosted the main European foci of human TL occurring in the last 15 years. Two Leishmania genomic typing targets were used: the heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) and the cysteine peptidase b (Cpb). Simpson's index was used to calculate the discriminatory power of the used typing methods.

resultsTyping results depicted the presence of a heterogeneous parasite population circulating in Bologna with two main haplogroups, i.e. Hsp70(A)_Cpb(F) (n = 7, 30.4%) and Hsp70(G)_Cpb(E/F) (n = 7, 30.4%), differing from the reference L. infantum strain JPCM5 haplogroup and partially overlapping with L. donovani lineages. Among the samples from Fuenlabrada, n = 19 samples were typed by both targets, revealing a homogeneous population expressing Hsp70(A) and Cpb(E), matching the JPCM5 reference strain haplogroup. Overall, the Cpb typing method exhibited higher discrimination power as compared to the Hsp70 method (Simpson's index of diversity, P-value < 0.05).

conclusionsOur findings show differences among L. infantum populations causing TL in two southern European epidemiological foci of human leishmaniasis and support the recent discovery of L. infantum/L.donovani hybrid strains circulating in northern Italy. These results underscore the critical need to identify the circulating Leishmania strains in endemic areas and assess their potential public health implications in active foci.

Indexed as

Genetic VariationHSP70 Heat-Shock ProteinsLeishmania infantumLeishmaniasis, CutaneousProtozoan ProteinsFemaleHumansItalyMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesSpainHSP70 Heat-Shock ProteinsProtozoan ProteinsCysteine peptidase bHeat shock protein 70Leishmania donovaniMolecular epidemiologyTegumentary leishmaniasis

Identifiers

PMID40420215
PMCPMC12105401

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.