Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41318579›Full record

ArticleParasites & vectors2025

Insights on genomic profiles of drug resistance and virulence in a cohort of Leishmania infantum isolates from the Mediterranean area.

Marina Carrasco-Martin, Joan Martí-Carreras, Marcel Gómez-Ponce, Maria Magdalena Alcover, Xavier Roura, Lluís Ferrer, Gad Baneth, Federica Bruno, Carmen Chicharro, Anabela Cordeiro-da-Silva and 11 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Parasites & vectors, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Baseline of miltefosine resistance markers in zoonoticOne health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2026
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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

21 authors.

Marina Carrasco-MartinNano1Health S.L. (N1H), Parc de Recerca UAB, Edifici EUREKA, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain. mcarrasco@nano1health.com.
Joan Martí-CarrerasNano1Health S.L. (N1H), Parc de Recerca UAB, Edifici EUREKA, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain.
Marcel Gómez-PonceNano1Health S.L. (N1H), Parc de Recerca UAB, Edifici EUREKA, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain.
Maria Magdalena AlcoverLaboratori de Parasitologia, Departament de Biologia Sanitat i Mediambient, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII 27-31, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
Xavier RouraHospital Clínic Veterinari, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain.
Lluís FerrerDepartament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain.
Gad BanethLaboratory for Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Diseases - Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Rehovot, Israel.
Federica BrunoIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Della Sicilia, Palermo, Italy.
Carmen ChicharroInstituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
Anabela Cordeiro-da-SilvaInstituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal.
José CristovãoGlobal Health and Tropical Medicine, LA-REAL, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
Trentina Di MuccioDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Unit of Vector-Borne Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 0161, Rome, Italy.
Carla MaiaGlobal Health and Tropical Medicine, LA-REAL, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
Javier MorenoInstituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
Anabel PriegoHospital Veterinario de la Universidad Católica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
Xavier Roca-GeronèsLaboratori de Parasitologia, Departament de Biologia Sanitat i Mediambient, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII 27-31, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
Nuno SantaremInstituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal.
Anna Vila SorianoHospital Veterinario de la Universidad Católica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
Fabrizio VitaleIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Della Sicilia, Palermo, Italy.
Daniel Yasur-LandauLaboratory for Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Diseases - Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Rehovot, Israel.
Olga FrancinoMolecular Genetics Veterinary Service, SVGM, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain. olga.francino@uab.cat.

Funding

Departament de Recerca i Universitats de la Generalitat de Catalunya 2023 DI 00019Departament de Recerca i Universitats de la Generalitat de Catalunya AGAUR
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDrug-resistant strains of Leishmania infantum challenge the effectiveness of treatments for clinical leishmaniosis and may lead to more frequent relapses. Copy number variation (CNV) at specific genetic loci is associated with drug resistance and virulence, but information about its prevalence in endemic regions is limited. This study examines the drug resistance and virulence status of Leishmania strains in human and canine isolates from the Mediterranean region.

methodsForty-eight Leishmania infantum isolates were whole-genome sequenced with nanopore long reads, followed by de novo assembly. We analyzed chromosomal aneuploidies and gene copy number variation in loci linked to drug resistance and virulence in Leishmania, alongside the genomic structure and rearrangements responsible for these variations.

resultsComplete genomes were de novo assembled for 35 L. infantum isolates (22 from dogs and 13 from humans), revealing significant chromosomal variability. We assessed copy number variation for 22 potential biomarkers: 15 genes related to drug resistance to first-line drugs (METK for allopurinol; LdSMT for amphotericin B; AQP1 and H-locus for antimonials; LdMT, LdRos3, and MSL for miltefosine; and PPM for paramomycin) and 7 genes related to virulence (lipophosphoglycan and proteophosphoglycan biosynthesis, and the Lack protein). Drug-resistance biomarkers were identified in 80% of the isolates. Canine strains primarily showed resistance to allopurinol and antimonials, while human isolates exhibited a broader resistance spectrum, especially to antimonials and paromomycin. The co-occurrence of resistance biomarkers was common, especially for allopurinol and antimonial resistance. Distinct mechanisms underlie the observed copy number variations. Virulence-associated genes were less variable among isolates.

conclusionsThe prevalence of drug-resistance biomarkers in Leishmania infantum strains from the Mediterranean region, as revealed by this study, underscores the critical need for routine resistance surveillance in managing clinical leishmaniosis. These findings not only inform current clinical practice but also pave the way for more effective management strategies in the future.

Indexed as

Antiprotozoal AgentsDrug ResistanceGenome, ProtozoanLeishmania infantumLeishmaniasis, VisceralAnimalsCohort StudiesDNA Copy Number VariationsDog DiseasesDogsHumansMediterranean RegionVirulenceWhole Genome SequencingAntiprotozoal AgentsCanine leishmaniosisCopy number variationDrug-resistance biomarkersHuman leishmaniosisLeishmania infantumVirulence biomarkers

Identifiers

PMID41318579
PMCPMC12802309

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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.