TY - JOUR
T1 - Microsatellite analysis reveals genetic structure of Leishmania tropica
AU - Schwenkenbecher, Jan M.
AU - Wirth, Thierry
AU - Schnur, Lionel F.
AU - Jaffe, Charles L.
AU - Schallig, Henk
AU - Al-Jawabreh, Amer
AU - Hamarsheh, Omar
AU - Azmi, Kifaya
AU - Pratlong, Francine
AU - Schönian, Gabriele
PY - 2006/2
Y1 - 2006/2
N2 - The current rapid spread of leishmaniases caused by Leishmania tropica and the complexity of its clinical spectrum call for this parasite's epidemiological and evolutionary investigation. Evaluation of its population structure by isoenzyme electrophoresis and previous molecular biological analysis has proved difficult. In this study, we used 21 microsatellite loci to type 117 strains from different African and Asian locations. Eighty-one different genotypes were found. A genetic bottleneck supported by a gradient in the number of alleles and consistent with the geographical structure of the Middle East suggests an African origin of this species. A Bayesian approach identified 10 genetic clusters that correlated predominantly with geographical origin. The strains in the 'Asia' cluster form a very heterogeneous sub-population, with a varied but inter-related genotype that is geographically very widely dispersed and consistent with anthroponotic transmission of the parasite. The other nine clusters were more homogenous. The propagation of L. tropica appears to be predominantly clonal. In Africa and the Middle East, anthroponotic and zoonotic systems of distribution may contribute to the development of overlapping, genetically distinct populations of L. tropica.
AB - The current rapid spread of leishmaniases caused by Leishmania tropica and the complexity of its clinical spectrum call for this parasite's epidemiological and evolutionary investigation. Evaluation of its population structure by isoenzyme electrophoresis and previous molecular biological analysis has proved difficult. In this study, we used 21 microsatellite loci to type 117 strains from different African and Asian locations. Eighty-one different genotypes were found. A genetic bottleneck supported by a gradient in the number of alleles and consistent with the geographical structure of the Middle East suggests an African origin of this species. A Bayesian approach identified 10 genetic clusters that correlated predominantly with geographical origin. The strains in the 'Asia' cluster form a very heterogeneous sub-population, with a varied but inter-related genotype that is geographically very widely dispersed and consistent with anthroponotic transmission of the parasite. The other nine clusters were more homogenous. The propagation of L. tropica appears to be predominantly clonal. In Africa and the Middle East, anthroponotic and zoonotic systems of distribution may contribute to the development of overlapping, genetically distinct populations of L. tropica.
KW - Geographical distribution
KW - Leishmania tropica
KW - Life cycle
KW - Microsatellite markers
KW - Population structure
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=32144435751&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijpara.2005.09.010
DO - 10.1016/j.ijpara.2005.09.010
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C2 - 16307745
AN - SCOPUS:32144435751
SN - 0020-7519
VL - 36
SP - 237
EP - 246
JO - International Journal for Parasitology
JF - International Journal for Parasitology
IS - 2
ER -